Obama hit for filling embassies with political allies, highest in 27 years

The Washington Examiner reports:

Career diplomats are finding that they can't advance to top State Department posts such as ambassadorships because President Obama has stuffed political appointees into those jobs, the most ever in his second term.

"Yes, it's a problem," said Robert Silverman, president of the American Foreign Service Association. "This is an ongoing struggle. We need to maintain the ability for our top people to go straight to the top," he said.

The issue is a big one: While the State Department has a good record for hiring a diverse workforce of diplomats and experts who often take hardship posts to move up the ladder, the Obama White House is keeping way too many of the best jobs for its political allies.

Chicago style patronage comes to Washington D.C.