Did you ever wonder about the responsibilities of our U.S. Ambassadors?

By David McClelland

U.S. Ambassadors are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. All embassies fall within the Department of State and all Ambassadors answer to the Secretary of State. It is customary for each new president to replace some or even most U.S. Ambassadors with those of his own choosing.

The United States currently has 59 Ambassadors and nearly all of them were named in 2008, 2009 or 2010. There are another 21 vacant Ambassador positions.

What are the duties of a U.S. Ambassador? First and foremost is keeping the President informed, via the Secretary of State, of all that may concern his interests in foreign countries. He is the eye of the country he serves. His second duty is to protect and defend his fellow countrymen in the country in which he serves. His third duty is to maintain the most amicable of relations with the sovereign to whom he is assigned and with its ministers. It is said, jokingly, that an Ambassador should maintain a good chef or cook so that he may extend hospitality to those with whom he associates socially.

It is clear that the position of U.S. Ambassador is most important to our country's interests and that the persons filling these critical assignments must be highly qualified, of unquestioned integrity and loyalty.