EMILY DREW, SANDY LAKE, PENNSYLVANIA: My name is Emily Drew. I'm from Sandy Lake, Pennsylvania. And I was wondering how United States ambassadors are chosen.</s>THOMAS PICKERING, UNDERSECRETARY OF STATE FOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS: The important point at first I think is to tell your viewers what is a U.S. ambassador. A U.S. ambassador is the personal representative of the president of the United States to a foreign country or international organization. Currently, there are two ways to become an ambassador. One is to join the career of foreign service and work your way up, and about 70 percent of the ambassadors in the current administration are from the career service, and it represents the culmination of a long career in diplomacy. The other way is to be appointed by the president on the basis of either distinguished and outstanding service in a different field or contributions to the party which presidents often recognize with an ambassadorship. The process is a difficult one in a sense that not only do you have to pass security tests and other tests, but your name has to go before the Senate of the United States and you have to personally appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, answer questions, and then be voted upon by both the committee and the full Senate of the United States before you can take up your post.
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