WASHINGTON  A day after President Obama announced his choices for some of the most coveted ambassador posts in the world, his press secretary, Robert Gibbs, was asked about their credentials.

The new ambassador to France? What is his qualification? Does he speak French?

“He does,” Mr. Gibbs said.

And the new ambassador to Britain? What is his qualification? “He speaks English,” Mr. Gibbs said.

Mr. Gibbs was kidding, but mastery of English may be one of the most relevant items on the résumé of Louis B. Susman, the new ambassador to the Court of St. James’s. Mr. Susman, a retired investment banker, earned the London posting not through diplomatic service but by collecting big checks for Mr. Obama’s campaign. Charles H. Rivkin, an entertainment mogul who once headed the company that created the Muppets, is heading to Paris for the same reason.

The practice of sending top fund-raisers to prestigious embassies is nothing new for presidents of either party. But that is what makes Mr. Obama’s nominations so noteworthy. For a candidate who made grand promises to bring change to a capital where power and position are greased by money, the latest selections are a reminder that there are limits to just how much change the new president intends to bring.