Hillaryphillic

This article, Hillary Clinton’s Last Tour as a Rock-Star Diplomat, largely focuses on the Secretary and it's interesting (if fawning) in itself, but there are also some insights about the Foreign Service are are worth reading about.  Here is the juiciest bit though.

These [personal] gestures and her strong advocacy for the budget at the State Department have re-energized the American Foreign Service, which felt beleaguered under President George W. Bush. Clinton makes a point of visiting American embassies and consulates — 109 so far — wherever she travels to thank the diplomats and their families, as well as the local staff who make up most of the work force abroad. She became the first secretary to hold special Christmas parties at the State Department for the families of diplomats with hardship posts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.