Sources said that Frazer will have no trouble getting past the committee, but a potential filibuster by the Democrats at the senatorial level could hold her back.

Tensions have been palpable on Capitol Hill since Bush’s two recent recess appointments of circuit-court judges. Democrats were further outraged when the president refused to appoint more than a dozen Democrats to government boards and commissions, inspiring Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., to threaten the administration with an unequivocal stall of all judicial nominations. “There has to be a reciprocal treatment of nominees,” Daschle said in a March statement. “It will be very, very difficult for us to move forward on nominations in the future if the matter isn’t resolved.”

Sarah Feinberg, a spokesperson for Daschle, said it is unclear whether Frazer will be affected by the standoff, since an ambassadorship is hardly the same thing as a judicial seat. “If she gets to the committee quickly and comes in front of the Senate right away, she may get caught in that conflict,” she said.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is holding a hearing for three African ambassador nominations today, but Frazer was not on that list as of yesterday afternoon. “Once you’re in the political season, everything takes on a slightly different flavor,” Allison said, “but as far as a human being and an academic colleague, she’s excellent.”

—Staff writer Leon Neyfakh can be reached at neyfakh@fas.harvard.edu..