Scott Jennings: Nick Adams as Ambassador to Malaysia Should Have a Chance to Prove Himself

EXCERPT:

JENNINGS: "Well, I know a little about this, I helped President Bush with a number of ambassadorial appointments when I worked in the White House. Some ambassadorships are actually career foreign service. In fact, Malaysia has always been, so this is a change for it. It will be a political ambassador. But traditionally, political ambassadors have just a couple of qualifications. Do you have the confidence of the president, and can you be confirmed by the United States Senate? But the most important of those is, to start, do you have the confidence and can you serve at the pleasure of the president? Nick I don‘t know personally. I‘ve interacted with him via text a time or two. He‘s an interesting, colorful personality, but ultimately he‘ll have to do what every other ambassador does: go to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and prove to them that he‘s qualified enough and studied up enough on this to do the job and earn their support. He‘s like every other nominee. He gets a chance to prove himself. And he‘s a — he‘s a U.S. citizen who the president has confidence in. Why shouldn‘t he get a chance to serve?"