President George Bush turned to the South Carolina Legislature to find a new ambassador to Canada.

• Position: People & Politics - Brief Article

President George Bush turned to the South Carolina Legislature to find a new ambassador to Canada. Speaker David Wilkins, a long-time Bush family friend and top Republican fundraiser who ran both the president's South Carolina campaigns, is the president's choice to replace Paul Celucci, who left the post in March. Wilkins, who became speaker 11 years ago when Republicans took over the House, has served in the legislature for 25 years. He has visited Canada just once. He was tapped by the president before--to be a U.S. District Court judge and ambassador to Chile. He turned both offers down. "I'm obviously thrilled and very thankful for the president's confidence," Wilkins said. The confirmation process is...