The 67th Secretary of State

I apologize that it had been a quiet week at Diplopundit, although it was far from quiet in our little corner of the world. Truth to tell, it has also been hard to get back into the swing of things after a long lag of limited writing. There are GAO reports I wanted to read and there are a few drafts I needed to clean up before Fall. I also have some digging to do, some dots to connect in my head, some more books to read including Tony Lake's "Somosa Falling,"an excellent case study on how foreign policy is crafted in Washington. All these while my son is home and I have two projects going on at the speed of light. Life is hot but sweet ... No, nothing to do with -- what is it the Skeptical Bureaucrat calls it? "the foreign affairs department of the Washington DC area's largest employer."

I don't know if my current malaise or disinterest in going through my to-do list is connected to a certain Georgian official calling on the United States to use its "diplomatic clout" to resolve their crisis over there. I swear I have no idea what "clout" means, and that's pretty darn depressing.

Meanwhile, speculations for the veepstakes have reached a fevered pitch, with both the old and new media reading tea leaves over who's going to be No.2. Perhaps it'll be Joe Biden, because he came out with coffee and bagels for the reporters instead of just driving by and saying "it's not me," or perhaps Bayh (can't ever remember his first name) who's wife apparently had some manicure/pedicure done and was talking about facing the "media pack." Good grief, they better roll him/her out already before the pudding collapse!

The No.2 person interests me as a citizen of our republic. I just don't feel I need to know it right this minute, and would not mind learning about it after the text message has gone out, or after the conventions. But I would really like to know who will be the 67th Secretary of State. This is not just out of curiosity. On a personal level, my spouse would still be working for 67th in the next few years, and life, official or otherwise, could get a bit better or a lot worse depending on who's driving (disclosure: I have not worked for 66th since 2007). On a civic level, I admit I'm also a worrywart when it comes to the institution I call home, but with good reasons - just ask Secretary Gates. A pudding collapse is quite a reality here and with much graver consequences.

I've poured over the foreign policy advisers in both camps, reading my own tea leaves and came out with nothing but more leaves! I supposed I have to wait on this, too, and the news may not come until after November. Nothing to do but wait. Sigh! Life is hot and sweet and full of waiting ...

I know it is foolish to think that wishing for something good in this era of change bursting at the seams, would actually work. But just once, I would like to wish that our next elected leaders would value wisdom and experience over loyalty when appointing 67th to drive this poor car (this poor car is dented, old, and set on its ways sometimes, but it has always been reliable in the performance of its duty, faithful to its tasks, and dedicated to its service to this nation). Perhaps then, I would not feel so depressed when I hear the word "clout," and I would not be so obsessed with pudding collapse.


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• The 67th SecState Sweeps – Part II
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