# An idiot Ambassador is confirmed **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 3, 2014, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idiot-ambassador-is-confirmed/706235 "2014-12-03T16:48:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idiot-ambassador-is-confirmed/706235/1 "2014-12-03T16:48:17Z")
From NPR this morning, Obama has appointed two more political hacks to ambassadorships. Yes I can bash Obama because 40% of his appointments are hacks (i.e. not career foreign service personnel) whereas historically it has been 30% (again facts from NPR) but I have enough faith to believe that the President with the Advice & Consent of the Senate can distinguish between what is needed in an Ambassador at the Court of St. James and our embassy in Kigali. Instead let’s discuss the Bold and the Beautiful producer Colleen Bell, our new ambassador to Hungary. When reporters asked Obama’s Press Secretary about her qualifications, [QUOTE=Daily Mail (UK)] Earnest hemmed and hawed before describing Bell as ‘somebody who retains the confidence that, well, let me say it this way: Ambassador Bell has the president’s confidence that she will do an excellent job representing the U.S. and maintaining the important relationship the U.S. has with the government and the people of Hungary.’ [/QUOTE] and basically she’s been successful in private industry so why wouldn’t she make a great ambassador. Much is being made of her complete that “in her confirmation hearing she couldn’t even name a single strategic interest the U.S. had with Hungary” but those quotes don’t do justice to her answer. I can’t find a clip of the audio online (yet) to Sen. McCain’s question but her response sounded [like this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj3iNxZ8Dww). So what is the debate here? I guess there are a few ways to go. Is the situation in Hungary one that demands a career diplomat instead of a high-roller campaign contributor? What does it mean that the Pubs that threaten a filibuster over many (no not all) of Obama’s appointments did not filibuster this one? They had 42 votes against so cloture was not an issue. McCain is furious yet seems to have little support from fellow Pubs. Most of the protests seem to be coming from journalists. What does that mean? Is the Senate at fault for letting this get through? Do we lambast Obama over this like we did with GWB and Harriet Miers? Or should we not care because it’s only an ambassador? Does this indicate a problem with the system and that maybe ambassadorships should be given to career foreign service personnel regardless of where the assignment is? ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idiot-ambassador-is-confirmed/706235/2 "2014-12-03T16:52:43Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > and basically she’s been successful in private industry so why wouldn’t she make a great ambassador. This was the entire basis for the Romney Presidential campaign. Ambassadorships to friendly countries are really not that critical and are usually given out as plums to big donors. ---
**Author:** ![Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Some_Call_Me.Tim)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idiot-ambassador-is-confirmed/706235/3 "2014-12-03T17:08:44Z")
> [@Death\_of\_Rats](#): > > This was the entire basis for the Romney Presidential campaign. Well, there was also his service as Governor, during which he implemented such innovations as Romneycare. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idiot-ambassador-is-confirmed/706235/4 "2014-12-03T17:20:01Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Is the situation in Hungary one that demands a career diplomat instead of a high-roller campaign contributor? Not IMO. It’s not like the UK or Russia or China or something. And she was probably unable to name a strategic interest that we share with Hungary because there aren’t many. It’s a beautiful country with a rich history, but they don’t do an excessive amount of business with the US, they don’t have a lot of oil, and they aren’t going to invade anybody or develop the Bomb. > [@](#): > > What does it mean that the Pubs that threaten a filibuster over many (no not all) of Obama’s appointments did not filibuster this one? They had 42 votes against so cloture was not an issue. It means that notion that Republicans will oppose every single thing Obama does because he’s black is a wrong notion. > [@](#): > > McCain is furious yet seems to have little support from fellow Pubs. Most of the protests seem to be coming from journalists. What does that mean? It means Obama appointed a big donor a low-stress ambassadorship. BFD, except if you’re McCain and looking for a bit of PR. > [@](#): > > Is the Senate at fault for letting this get through? Do we lambast Obama over this like we did with GWB and Harriet Miers? Or should we not care because it’s only an ambassador? We should not care. > [@](#): > > Does this indicate a problem with the system and that maybe ambassadorships should be given to career foreign service personnel regardless of where the assignment is? I don’t see why. It won’t hurt anything to send this woman to Budapest and let her go to parties and feel important. The career diplomats will deal with tourists who lose their passports and shield her from the low-level spies. She will write a report on Hungary that nobody will read every six months or so, and come 2017 it will be given to someone else (hopefully to a big GOP donor). Patronage perks are still part of being President, and Obama had better dole them out ASAP until the new Congress is seated and he will have to deal with a Senate where he is outnumbered even more than 41-59. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idiot-ambassador-is-confirmed/706235/5 "2014-12-03T17:24:34Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > It’s a beautiful country with a rich history, but they don’t do an excessive amount of business with the US, they don’t have a lot of oil, and they aren’t going to invade anybody or develop the Bomb. So logically, Hungary can get by without an U.S. ambassador in the first place. It’ll save money on arranging official functions plus the ambassador’s salary and other expenses. Seriously, I thought we learned our lesson on appointing political hacks to represent our country from _The Ugly American_. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idiot-ambassador-is-confirmed/706235/6 "2014-12-03T17:26:19Z")
While I agree with the OP’s opinion of the ambassadors in question, I can’t get too outraged, because this kind of appointment has been standard operating procedure for years, in BOTH parties. Is this the first time a big donor with no visible qualifications has been given an ambassadorship? Hardly. EVERY administration has given such jobs to equally unqualified donors. Anyway, in THIS day and age, when we have instant communications, the job of an ambassador isn’t what it once was. It’s not 1814, when an ambassador to England or France WAS the voice of the US, since it would take weeks or months for the British government to get in touch with the President or Secretary of State. In 2014, if something really serious were happening in Budapest, the Hungarian President would go right over the ambassador’s head and get in touch with Washington. So relax. It’s not as if a bad ambassador can do much damage. P.S. I felt exactly the same way about the James Hormel appointment. Who cares who’s ambassador to Luxembourg? ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idiot-ambassador-is-confirmed/706235/7 "2014-12-03T17:40:08Z")
Just because it’s been mentioned a couple of times in the thread: How many of the Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Court of St. James’s do you think have been career diplomats? One. (Raymond Seitz, 1991 -1994) ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idiot-ambassador-is-confirmed/706235/8 "2014-12-03T17:44:20Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > So logically, Hungary can get by without an U.S. ambassador in the first place. Well, more like we can get by with a figurehead instead of a career diplomat. [We seem to have gotten by with it since 1994 or so](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Ambassador_to_Hungary). > [@](#): > > Seriously, I thought we learned our lesson on appointing political hacks to represent our country from _The Ugly American_. If I thought the Viet Nam war, Part II, was going to break out in Hungary, I would probably feel differently. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idiot-ambassador-is-confirmed/706235/9 "2014-12-03T17:44:35Z")
> [@Saint Cad](#): > > Is the situation in Hungary one that demands a career diplomat instead of a high-roller campaign contributor? Maybe they watch a lot of American soap operas in Hungary, and she’ll be a celebrity there. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idiot-ambassador-is-confirmed/706235/10 "2014-12-03T17:49:28Z")
In the hearing, McCain is being a complete dick. He won’t let her finish a sentence. If she is so obviously stupid, wouldn’t it be best to let her demonstrate that by letting her completing a thought? According to Wikipedia, Bell has a very active public life including being chair or board member of numerous nonprofits ranging from the a UCLA rape treatment center to promoting clean technology in clothing manufacturing. And being a producer isn’t some kind of non-job. It’s actually a pretty similar skill set- managing high level relationships, finding the intersection between the needs of your administration and the needs of your audience, hiring very smart people, and being responsible for using huge budgets to execute a vision. She will have ample access to any subject matter expertise she may need. It wouldn’t be my first pick, but it’s not like it’s completely out there. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idiot-ambassador-is-confirmed/706235/11 "2014-12-03T18:14:03Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Is the situation in Hungary one that demands a career diplomat instead of a high-roller campaign contributor? The bright side is that as a NATO ally a lot of our most important dealings will be through the NATO structure instead of through the ambassador. The downside is it’s a NATO ally… that borders Ukraine… you know the country that is currently at the forefront of NATO-Russian friction. She can’t even name that they are in Eastern Europe and we’ve committed ourselves to go to war in their defense when asked about our strategic interests?:smack: Between the NATO structure and modern communications she can probably sit out even a Russia-NATO cage fight without being given significant duties. It’s a posting that makes “smart power” seem like an oxymoron though. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idiot-ambassador-is-confirmed/706235/12 "2014-12-03T18:18:34Z")
> [@DinoR](#): > > The bright side is that as a NATO ally a lot of our most important dealings will be through the NATO structure instead of through the ambassador. That’s a good point. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![ZPG\_Zealot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e47c2d/32.png) [@ZPG\_Zealot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZPG_Zealot)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idiot-ambassador-is-confirmed/706235/13 "2014-12-03T18:23:22Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Maybe they watch a lot of American soap operas in Hungary, and she’ll be a celebrity there. They do or at least according to some Hungarian students at my university. The Bold and the Beautiful is one of them and popular. According to one grad student, she’ll probably be the first American ambassador in a long time that the average Hungarian will consider successful and distinguished. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idiot-ambassador-is-confirmed/706235/14 "2014-12-03T18:40:12Z")
McCain is in a froth because he disapproves of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. [Yesterday McCain said Hungary is](http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/hungary-upset-john-mccain-comments-leader-27333125) > [@](#): > > on the verge of ceding its sovereignty to a neo-fascist dictator getting in bed with Vladimir Putin. Apparently Orban has been cozying up to Putin but I doubt the situation is as dire as McCain wants to believe. More on Orban [here](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/08/world/europe/viktor-orban-steers-hungary-toward-russia-25-years-after-fall-of-the-berlin-wall.html?_r=0). ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idiot-ambassador-is-confirmed/706235/15 "2014-12-03T18:50:18Z")
> [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#): > > McCain is in a froth because he disapproves of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. [Yesterday McCain said Hungary is](http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/hungary-upset-john-mccain-comments-leader-27333125) > … > Apparently Orban has been cozying up to Putin but I doubt the situation is as dire as McCain wants to believe. More on Orban [here](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/08/world/europe/viktor-orban-steers-hungary-toward-russia-25-years-after-fall-of-the-berlin-wall.html?_r=0). Yeah, darn that Ambassador Bell for… um… huh. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idiot-ambassador-is-confirmed/706235/16 "2014-12-03T19:01:22Z")
Remember, you can’t spell “crazy” without “R-AZ”. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idiot-ambassador-is-confirmed/706235/17 "2014-12-03T19:07:24Z")
> [@DinoR](#): > > The bright side is that as a NATO ally a lot of our most important dealings will be through the NATO structure instead of through the ambassador. The downside is it’s a NATO ally… that borders Ukraine… you know the country that is currently at the forefront of NATO-Russian friction. She can’t even name that they are in Eastern Europe and we’ve committed ourselves to go to war in their defense when asked about our strategic interests?:smack: > > Between the NATO structure and modern communications she can probably sit out even a Russia-NATO cage fight without being given significant duties. It’s a posting that makes “smart power” seem like an oxymoron though. I suppose afterwards she can produce a tv movie covering any major events during her ambassadorship to Hungary. I wonder who will play Colleen Bell? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idiot-ambassador-is-confirmed/706235/18 "2014-12-03T19:28:27Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](#): > > I suppose afterwards she can produce a tv movie covering any major events during her ambassadorship to Hungary. I wonder who will play Colleen Bell? I was going to nominate [Laura Bell Bundy](http://www.laurabellbundy.com/bio/) (motto: “The motivation is not to be famous, it’s to have fun until I drop dead”), since I thought she was part of the Bell family, but apparently I was completely wrong about that. I still think she’d be a good choice – apparently one of her nicknames is “The Ambassador of Good Times”. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idiot-ambassador-is-confirmed/706235/19 "2014-12-03T19:39:28Z")
> [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#): > > McCain is in a froth because he disapproves of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. [Yesterday McCain said Hungary is](http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/hungary-upset-john-mccain-comments-leader-27333125) > > Apparently Orban has been cozying up to Putin but I doubt the situation is as dire as McCain wants to believe. More on Orban [here](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/08/world/europe/viktor-orban-steers-hungary-toward-russia-25-years-after-fall-of-the-berlin-wall.html?_r=0). It does apparently seem, however, that McCain isn’t the only person comparing Orban with Putin. From the New York Times: [http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/08/world/europe/viktor-orban-steers-hungary-toward-russia-25-years-after-fall-of-the-berlin-wall.html?\_r=0](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/08/world/europe/viktor-orban-steers-hungary-toward-russia-25-years-after-fall-of-the-berlin-wall.html?_r=0) > [@](#): > > After leading his right-wing party to a series of national and local election victories, Mr. Orban is rapidly centralizing power, raising a crop of crony oligarchs, cracking down on dissent, expanding ties with Moscow and generally drawing uneasy comparisons from Western leaders and internal opponents to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. > > “He is the only Putinist governing in the European Union,” said Joschka Fischer, the former German foreign minister. > [@](#): > > In a speech this summer, Mr. Orban declared liberal democracy to be in decline and praised authoritarian “illiberal democracies” in Turkey, China, Singapore and Russia. So, while it definitely is fun to poke at McCain for being uber-paranoid, this issue isn’t one of those. ---
**Author:** ![Belowjob2.0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Belowjob2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belowjob2.0)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idiot-ambassador-is-confirmed/706235/20 "2014-12-03T21:05:16Z")
The OP called her an idiot. This just isn’t true. Nobody can reach the level she has in Hollywood without being smart, ruthless, and good at manipulating people. It appears that she’s being rewarded for facilitating the fund raising and relationships that Obama and the Democrats needed in Hollywood. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idiot-ambassador-is-confirmed/706235.md?page=2)