WASHINGTON INSIGHT

PREPPED FOR SUCCESS: Before heading off to foreign lands, newly minted U.S. ambassadors and their spouses attend a State Department finishing school on the dos and don’ts of diplomacy. It’s a “popular mechanics seminar on how to be a successful ambassador,” says Lawrence P. Taylor, who runs the weeklong course on matters ranging from budgets to ethics. . . . Is the ambassador’s spouse allowed to use the official car? No. Must the ambassador’s family keep track of ingredients used in private meals vs. those used in meals for official guests? Yes. “People from outside the government are invariably shocked” by the stringent ethics standards, says John T. Sprott, a career Foreign Service officer who will begin serving as ambassador to Swaziland in January. He recalls a long discussion over the importance of keeping the ambassador’s family’s bath towels separate from those bought by the government for state visitors. . . . When it’s all over, Secretary of State Warren Christopher stops by to say “welcome aboard” and poses for pictures with the graduates.