11.   Burleigh said in an interview last month that there are advantages to being a career diplomat here.

12.   But career diplomats say the administration, perhaps anticipating more grueling fights with the Senate, is now deliberating, some say cowering, over nominations.

13.   But career diplomats and scholars say both are at fault, in part because most ambassador nominations are no longer treated very seriously.

14.   But she has also run afoul of rules meant to protect the integrity of career diplomats.

15.   Chretien, a career diplomat, is a nephew of Prime Minister Jean Chretien.

16.   Chrobog, a career diplomat, is one of the most respected figures in German diplomacy.

17.   Cowal is a career diplomat who spent most of her career in top-level State Department posts under Republicans.

18.   Davidow is a career diplomat with extensive experience in Latin America.

19.   Even if a career diplomat is selected, he will have to voice the nationalistic, anti-Western sentiments that dominate parliament and the public mood.

20.   For much of May, Frasure, a career diplomat, held marathon one-on-one negotiations in Belgrade with President Slobodan Milosevic of Serbia.