I have worked for numerous ambassadors over the years, both career and political. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. Career guys usually understand the lay of the land better, but remain too beholden to the bureaucracy in Washington (Mother, may I?)

The politicos may or may not have a clue, but their connections can have big payoffs. One of my ambassadors called Madeline Albright at home at 0600 DC time in order to prevent a major fox pass (that's diplo-speak for F-U). Another worked a highly classified political mission for the president. Only someone of stature could accomplish that. Plus, if the deal went south or was compromised, he was expendable.

Yet there are diplomatic giants who manage to struggle through the system -- Nick Burns, Chris Hill, Ryan Crocker all come to mind. Unfortunately, they seem to be few and far between.

The answer, I believe, is to strenghthen the recruitment and PDE (professional diplomatic education) mentioned earlier. Those of you who have worked the diplomatic or intelligence lanes know that one of the greatest frustrations of working with senior FSOs is lack of management/leadership training. It would also help to have geographically targeted FSOs like Army FAOs. Maybe not only one geo area/officer, but let's say no more than 2. That way, it's easier to keep up on regional developments, languages, etc.