DIPLOMACY - What Does it Take to be U.S. Ambassador?

I've got news for my readers, ambassadorial appointments do donors have been a long tradition but usually they had something to recommend them.  Note that Sen. McCain's question to Mr. Bell highlights that Mr. Bell may not know what McCain meant by 'strategic.'

"Recent confirmation hearings raise eyebrows at ambassador nomination criteria" PBS Newshour 2/17/2014

Excerpt

GWEN IFILL (Newshour): ..... A crop of recent ambassadorial nominees, several of them big-money Obama supporters, have raised fresh questions about who gets to represent the United States abroad.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO, R-Fla.:  Mr. Mamet, have you been to Argentina?

NOAH BRYSON MAMET, U.S. Ambassador to Argentina-Designate:  Senator, I haven’t had the opportunity yet to be there.

GWEN IFILL:  That response from Noah Mamet, President Obama’s choice to be ambassador to Argentina, raised eyebrows at a Senate confirmation hearing this month.

Mamet generated more than $500,000 for the president’s reelection, and he’s one of a handful of key supporters rewarded with overseas posts.  Another is Colleen Bell, the soap opera producer tapped to be envoy to Hungary.  In January, she struggled to respond to Senator John McCain at her own confirmation hearing.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, R-Ariz.:  Do you think our — what are our strategic interests in Hungary?

COLLEEN BELL, U.S. Ambassador to Hungary-Designate:  Well, we have — our strategic interests, in terms of what are our key priorities in Hungary, I think our key priorities are to improve upon, as I mentioned, the security relationship and also the law enforcement and to promote business opportunities, increase trade…

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN:  I would like to ask again what our strategic interests in Hungary are.