The New York Times’ Peter Baker reports that Barack Obama is using the time-honored spoils system for ambassador positions:

Mr. Obama announced his selections for 12 ambassador posts on Wednesday, on top of six announced previously. Of the 18 total nominees named to date, just five are career diplomats, tapped for Iraq, Kosovo, Iceland, Brazil and Sri Lanka. The rest are a mix of fundraisers, political figures, scholars and others from the private sector assigned desirable posts in places like Britain, France, Japan, China, Argentina, Ireland and Vatican City.

But upon closer inspection, for the ambassadorial posts that might be crucial, Obama chose candidates on their merits:

Not all of Mr. Obama’s political picks raised vast sums for him. Former Representative Timothy J. Roemer of Indiana, a Democrat who sat on the commission that investigated the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, will go to New Delhi. Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. of Utah, assigned to Beijing, is a Republican who served as co-chairman of Senator John McCain’scampaign last year and was widely seen as a potential presidential candidate in 2012.

Others bring significant national security experience to their assignments even if they were political appointees, like Susan E. Rice, the new ambassador to the United Nations, Gen. John Eikenberry, the new ambassador to Afghanistan, and Ivo Daadler, the new ambassador to NATO.

It’s hard for even the staunchest good-government advocate to have their heart in ripping Obama for hiring political moneymen to be the ambassador of France and Great Britain. The question is not whether Obama has deviated from his broad promise of change, but why these posts exist. Would the U.S., Great Britain and the world wildly benefit from a super-qualified ambassador to Great Britain? A truly austere good government reform would be a roving ambassador for all countries that are both desirable tourist destinations and will almost surely never, ever antagonize America. Maybe there could be a nationally televised talent show to compete for the appointment.-MB

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