Ambassadors are chosen from three categories: 1) Foreign Service officers who are trained to represent the United States all over the world and hope to eventually be promoted to ambassadorial rank; 2) People who have raised big bucks for the president; and 3) Those who have worked on campaigns, in government, or other institutions relevant to the country or post they hope to be assigned to.
We fell into category three.
Many plum posts, like France, Italy, Great Britain, China, much to the rightful chagrin of highly trained Foreign Service officers, almost always go to the big bucks people. In all cases, though, the number two positions in the embassies are filled by Foreign Service officers. They guide the newly appointed ambassador and try to make sure he or she avoids a serious faux pas. They usually, but not always, succeed.
If you are a contender for a post, the scramble to secure a position goes like this:
1. You will be asked for a list of what you want. This is not like applying for college where you have a "reach" and a "safety." They are all reaches. The competition is fierce. For example, I am told reliably that today in Los Angeles alone there are seventeen people who think they are entitled to an ambassadorial post.
2. You need to know someone in a position of power to send your name and choices to the State Department.
3. You will wait to hear something. And wait some more. In the meantime, mysterious people will be vetting you. Make sure you paid your nanny's social security. Divest of anything that might be considered a conflict of interest. Hope that you have made no enemies in the State Department who are in a position to derail you.
4. If you are lucky, you will hear that your name and position have been cleared out of the State Department and sent to the White House.
5. You might wait for an interminable amount of time. Someone in White House personnel, whose name you will forget three months later, will become the most important person in your world. Hope that you have no enemies in the WH who can derail you.
6. There will be moments when it looks like the whole thing is going down the drain. We were on track for a multilateral position in Vienna until we received a fateful call from our best friend in White House personnel. Things could go sideways for us. Why? Because "The Sound of Music" had just been shown on network TV, leading to "a new surge of interest in Austria."
I kid you not.
7. If you survive a serious threat like that, your name will clear the White House and be sent to the Senate for confirmation.
8. You will wait to be scheduled for a confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. And wait some more.
9. Your hearing will take place. Hope that you have not made any enemies in the Senate who are in a position to derail you.
10. The Senate will vote to confirm you as ambassador. You breathe a sigh of relief.
What comes next is "ambassador school." More on that next time.
