Greasing palms

[Tunnelcat]

I guess it pays big rewards to donate half a million samolies to a presidential candidate. Obama's now the new record holder for the most donors appointed to ambassadorial positions, surpassing even Bush's record. Plus, many of these people know absolutely nothing about the countries they're heading to either, so I wouldn't consider them the "high quality civil servants" he promised. Especially since many just plain flubbed in their conformation hearings. Just another broken promise to add to Obama's list of failed campaign promises.

“......have civil servants, wherever possible, serve in these posts.”

"My expectation is that high quality civil servants are going to be rewarded......

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/20 ... mbassador/

[callmeslick]

I'd like to see the figures on that claim.....ambassadorships have traditionally gone to major donors since I was a kid. At least, ambassadorships to prominent Western nations and major Eastern powers.

[Will Robinson]

meet the new boss, same as the old boss

you'll get no change back for that hope you bought

The "new tone" that was promised was actually a reference to the much lower volume and resonance of reporting on the administration

who leaked this, and do we have a drone standing by?

Joe says "Lets blame Hillary"

[woodchip]

Plus, many of these people know absolutely nothing about the countries they're heading to either, so I wouldn't consider them the "high quality civil servants" he promised.

Well lets face, they simply mirror the guy at the top.

[Spidey]

I'd like to see the figures on that claim.....ambassadorships have traditionally gone to major donors since I was a kid. At least, ambassadorships to prominent Western nations and major Eastern powers.

Missed the part about the broken promise, huh...

[CUDA]

I'd like to see the figures on that claim.....ambassadorships have traditionally gone to major donors since I was a kid. At least, ambassadorships to prominent Western nations and major Eastern powers.

Missed the part about the broken promise, huh...

missed???

[Spidey]

Ignored?

[CUDA]

Ignored?

thats better

[Tunnelcat]

Plus, many of these people know absolutely nothing about the countries they're heading to either, so I wouldn't consider them the "high quality civil servants" he promised.

Well lets face, they simply mirror the guy at the top.

Unfortunately they ALL do, no matter what party they're from. It's the "sickness" of gaining political power and abusing it, and we still haven't found a cure that won't kill the whole body outright. Even then.......

[snoopy]

Obama's now the new record holder for the most donors appointed to ambassadorial positions, surpassing even Bush's record.

Not to give Obama a pass or anything... but he probably holds the record only because he's had more chances to show his true colors than his predecessors.

[flip]

I think we should flush the whole group. Vote in the young idealist, he will do good initially, then send him packing before he can do any real damage. That's the only way I can think to change the spirit of that place.

[Tunnelcat]

Obama's now the new record holder for the most donors appointed to ambassadorial positions, surpassing even Bush's record.

Not to give Obama a pass or anything... but he probably holds the record only because he's had more chances to show his true colors than his predecessors.

How's that? They both had the same amount of time to do their civil servant and cabinet stuffing. Bush was in for 2 terms, as well as Obama. What more chances has Obama had over Bush? Just curious.

[callmeslick]

once again, where is the big issue? Ambassadorships are NOT core diplomatic wonk jobs. They are social positions, most of the time. You need a person willing to go to social events in the host nation, and have enough basic management skills to oversee a large office. The lower level State employees do the hard work of technical work with the host nation staff and elected officials. As I said, I've always viewed these posts as pure patronage for prominent friends and donors, and so it has been as long as I can remember...for every President. The problem appointments are when you need EXPERTISE and hire, say, a failed horse show official as your FEMA director. That sort of crap can come back to haunt you.

[Will Robinson]

Obama's now the new record holder for the most donors appointed to ambassadorial positions, surpassing even Bush's record.

Not to give Obama a pass or anything... but he probably holds the record only because he's had more chances to show his true colors than his predecessors.

How's that? They both had the same amount of time to do their civil servant and cabinet stuffing. Bush was in for 2 terms, as well as Obama. What more chances has Obama had over Bush? Just curious.

Well, Obama gets to replace the ones who are murdered by terrorists. I don't think that Bush had any of those openings.

Maybe a lot more ambassadorships have opened up after the job description, for strictly socialite positions (according to slick ), started to include taking missile launchers and other guns away from nasty people and delivering them to al Queda to overthrow neighboring tyrants.

After all any fool can throw a cocktail party with servants included to do the work but being a front for the CIA in Allah's country can be a bit of a buzz kill even when the boss is paying for the booze and teenage prostitutes!!

[snoopy]

Obama's now the new record holder for the most donors appointed to ambassadorial positions, surpassing even Bush's record.

Not to give Obama a pass or anything... but he probably holds the record only because he's had more chances to show his true colors than his predecessors.

How's that? They both had the same amount of time to do their civil servant and cabinet stuffing. Bush was in for 2 terms, as well as Obama. What more chances has Obama had over Bush? Just curious.

Pure conjecture... I don't know how the whole ambassadorship "term" works (and don't really care enough to go look it up) maybe more have come up for re-selection, or more have retired, or whatever.

I guess my overall point is that I don't think this particularly shows Obama to be any more corrupt than Bush... maybe you could just say that makes him more of a hypocrite since he campaigned on stopping things like this.

[Spidey]

I still think the issue here is the broken promises.

[Tunnelcat]

Obama's now the new record holder for the most donors appointed to ambassadorial positions, surpassing even Bush's record.

Not to give Obama a pass or anything... but he probably holds the record only because he's had more chances to show his true colors than his predecessors.

How's that? They both had the same amount of time to do their civil servant and cabinet stuffing. Bush was in for 2 terms, as well as Obama. What more chances has Obama had over Bush? Just curious.

Well, Obama gets to replace the ones who are murdered by terrorists. I don't think that Bush had any of those openings.

Maybe a lot more ambassadorships have opened up after the job description, for strictly socialite positions (according to slick ), started to include taking missile launchers and other guns away from nasty people and delivering them to al Queda to overthrow neighboring tyrants.

After all any fool can throw a cocktail party with servants included to do the work but being a front for the CIA in Allah's country can be a bit of a buzz kill even when the boss is paying for the booze and teenage prostitutes!!

You're wrong. Bush W. had one ambassador murdered in a terrorist bombing and Reagan had one who died under suspicious circumstances. So Obama is on par with 2 Republican Presidents.

http://www.ibtimes.com/honored-dead-oth ... ice-782975

Reagan:

Arnold Lewis Raphel, U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan, August 17, 1988. Suspicious plane crash.

Bush:

Sergio Vieira de Mello, UN Special Representative in Iraq. August 19, 2003, Canal Hotel bombing, Al-Qaeda.

But the record holder for the number of terrorist attacks on U.S. Embassies goes to....BUSHIE.! He had a grand total of 12 to his record, 8 of those while Rumsfeld was Sec Def. That's the most of any president in history. Suck on that one Obama!

[Will Robinson]

Obama's now the new record holder for the most donors appointed to ambassadorial positions, surpassing even Bush's record.

Not to give Obama a pass or anything... but he probably holds the record only because he's had more chances to show his true colors than his predecessors.

How's that? They both had the same amount of time to do their civil servant and cabinet stuffing. Bush was in for 2 terms, as well as Obama. What more chances has Obama had over Bush? Just curious.

Well, Obama gets to replace the ones who are murdered by terrorists. I don't think that Bush had any of those openings.

Maybe a lot more ambassadorships have opened up after the job description, for strictly socialite positions (according to slick ), started to include taking missile launchers and other guns away from nasty people and delivering them to al Queda to overthrow neighboring tyrants.

After all any fool can throw a cocktail party with servants included to do the work but being a front for the CIA in Allah's country can be a bit of a buzz kill even when the boss is paying for the booze and teenage prostitutes!!

You're wrong. Bush W. had one ambassador murdered in a terrorist bombing and Reagan had one who died under suspicious circumstances. So Obama is on par with 2 Republican Presidents.

http://www.ibtimes.com/honored-dead-oth ... ice-782975

Reagan:

Arnold Lewis Raphel, U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan, August 17, 1988. Suspicious plane crash.

Bush:

Sergio Vieira de Mello, UN Special Representative in Iraq. August 19, 2003, Canal Hotel bombing, Al-Qaeda.

But the record holder for the number of terrorist attacks on U.S. Embassies goes to....BUSHIE.! He had a grand total of 12 to his record, 8 of those while Rumsfeld was Sec Def. That's the most of any president in history. Suck on that one Obama!

So in spite of the danger they had more loyalty / less turnover before Obama took over?

[Tunnelcat]

Who knows. But Bush must have pissed more people off than Obama has. Terrorists tried 12 times to murder our foreign reps., by attacking the entire embassy compound. I guess results matter, because Bush only lost one in all those attacks. Still, one is one each.