Why Giving Donors Ambassadorships Is a Bad Idea

Just because you're really good at raising campaign cash doesn't mean you're good at anything else. Alas, politicians have to say thank you somehow. Cynthia Stroum bundled $500,000 for Barack Obama in 2008, and was rewarded with a plum gig that most rich supporters are able to coast through with ease: ambassador to Luxembourg. But Stroum was not your typical rich supporter, a State Department