Israel Matzav: Amateur hour at the State Department

Amateur hour at the State Department

Today's daily press briefing at the State Department was given by Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs P.J. "this is my seventh day on the job here at the Department of State" Crowley. Even the fact that he is a Red Sox fan cannot redeem this sequence.

QUESTION: Well, as you know, I mean, the Bush Administration made kind of democracy in the Middle East, you know, a big cornerstone of its foreign policy, but a lot of people were disappointed with the results. I mean, how do you think that President Obama and this Administration is going to push ahead on issues of democracy in the Middle East? Do you think it’ll be more private, more bilateral, or --

MR. CROWLEY: Well, I mean, it’s going to be – obviously, what you’re seeing from the administration in its first five months is a return to high-level engagement in the Middle East, at the presidential level, when appropriate. We’ve had a number of our most seasoned diplomats put into positions where we can have dialogue, with Iran if they’re willing, with Israel and Palestine. George Mitchell will be going back out to the region in the next couple of weeks.

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Israel Matzav: Amateur hour at the State Department