All the King's Men Want a Slice of Pie

[J.K. Gregg]

[WizardfromOz]

The article is leaving a few bits of information out. For example Matthew Barun has been an ambassador - to Sweden, yes I had to look it up to know for sure. The second thing Anna Wintour, I can find no direct quotes on the subject, it all "A source said" and even those sources say she in not interested in London but Paris - which at least seems logical to me. In terms of a reward, she has been a major fund raiser for the Democrats for years. She will not get this just because Obama won.

All that aside, although posts to Paris and London have prestige, the ambassadors do next to nothing in countries with long term close friendships. A bit of culture showing off, attend the odd state ball. Come out with some flowery complimentary statement about the country as required. Generally if anything big comes up the two leaders talk directly anyway

[Bill_in_Bethlehem]

you scratch my back, i scratch yours

same way there is a "revolving door" between congress and wall street/k street

for the most part our public "servants" long ago stopped serving anyone other than themselves

[cool_chick]

Scratching head...this is nothing new. It's been like this for decades (from my own recollection).... Is this the first you've heard of this???

Guess we've had a lot of monarchies here....

[J.K. Gregg]

No. I'm just pointing it out.

But we continue to vote in the same people, for the same parties, and put up with it all.

[cool_chick]

Considering ambassadorship is a very minute "duty," if you were president, how would you appoint them?

[Indy]

I think the more egregious offense is giving regulatory positions to huge contributors or cronies who either a) have no experience whatsoever (Brownie) or whom are lap dogs for the industry they're supposed to oversee (Geithner).

Ambassadorships are largely ceremonial positions; this kind of thing has been going on forever.

[J.K. Gregg]

[WizardfromOz]

[Precocity]