US AMBASSADORS usually get little press abroad, and what notice they get is generally favorable. But President Bush’s man in Paris, big-time GOP contributor Howard Leach, recently got some exceptionally harsh treatment from the Financial Times.
Leach has been "mocked by US commentators as the man with the best diplomatic post that money can buy."
Last week, the Times wrote, Leach "satisfied the vultures of the Anglo-American press corps in Paris by mixing up the Taleban and the Northern Alliance, confusing the French with the Flemish and admitting that he didn’t speak the language of Victor Hugo."
But he’s learning diplomacy, the Times deadpanned, noting he "spoke for more than an hour without saying anything substantial" and "responded like a professional" when asked about the US role in establishing the fanatical Taleban in the first place.
"‘Countries’ priorities change with the facts at any given time,’ he declared solemnly," the paper concluded. "Very ambassadorial."
Ouch!
Gore’s job hunt
FORMER VICE PRESIDENT Al Gore spent most of the year trying to find a Wall Street firm willing to pay him a base salary between $2 million and $3 million a year, the New York Post reports.
"But none of Gore’s prospective employers, including big buyout firms and major investment banks, would take him on, according to sources close to several of the firms.
"Instead, Gore has signed on with Los Angeles-based financial services firm Metropolitan West Financial as vice chairman," reporter Paul Tharp writes.
"One executive (in New York) said Gore was very frank about his job goals: Gore wanted to amass enough money quickly on Wall Street deals so that he could relaunch his political career at the midterm elections in 2002."
The reporter added: "Executives who interviewed Gore said the former Democratic vice president brought potential problems to the table instead of any solutions their firms could use.
"The biggest was that Gore admittedly is a novice in the business world and could hardly be expected to bring in any business. One source said Gore couldn’t provide a good answer to their question: ‘What can you do for us?’"
Good question!
