- WASHINGTON: As a supporter of presidential candidate Barack Obama, Cynthia Stroum was a superstar whose financial backing of the campaign landed her a plum diplomatic posting in Europe.
- As America’s ambassador to Luxembourg, the wealthy Seattle-based businesswoman was a disaster.
According to an internal State Department report, Stroum’s management of the US Embassy in Luxembourg was abysmal.
She quit a week ago.
The report says her approximately one-year tenure as ambassador was fraught with personality conflicts, verbal abuse of staff and questionable expenditures on travel, wine and liquor.
In a farewell message published in the Luxembourg media, Stroum said she was quitting to focus on her family and business.
Her case illustrates the pitfalls that presidents face when appointing non-career diplomats to ambassadorships as a reward for political support.