WASHINGTON (AP) — A group of professional diplomats wants to make sure that American ambassadors have street cred before they are sent to run U.S. embassies overseas — and not just big money or high status.

On Friday, the American Foreign Service Association said it is pushing new guidelines to ensure that ambassadors meet certain qualifications for top diplomatic posts. The proposal follows a recent spate of embarrassing comments by Obama administration ambassador nominees who have shown — or, in one case, outright confessed to — lacking expertise in the countries where they will live and work.