Defense Deputy Undersecretary Richard Lawless, American Institute in Taiwan director Douglas Paal, ambassador to Singapore Frank Lavin and Acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Evans Revere are still popular candidates, however. On embassy row in Washington and among State Department officials, they are saying that due to a shortage of quality candidates, the decision is taking a while.

In the U.S., there are a few unwritten rules for selecting ambassadors. For France or the rest of Europe, the U.S. usually sends a close associate of the president, who helped greatly in the election, who is able to run in European social circles.

In the case of Saudi Arabia, a major oil supplier that occupies an important position in U.S. relations with the Middle East, a very close friend of the president is usually sent. The person has to be more than an acquaintance of the president, but be someone who can talk to the president like a friend, like, "Hey, George, we've got a problem over here." The current U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, James C. Oberwetter, is a native Texan who has been close with the Bush family since George W. Bush's father was president.

Meanwhile, Korea, along with Israel, Turkey and Pakistan, are the recipients of more "business-like" ambassadors. This is because these regions, with many pending issues to be dealt with, do not allow much time for diplomatic socializing, but rather demand skilled, hard-working figures. They are also important nations career-wise for professional diplomats. That Boucher has never served in Korea is a detraction, but he is known as a "China expert" who served a long time in China.

(englishnews@chosun.com )