The next Secretary of State

One News devoted one of today's top news slots to a story about Colin Powell's resignation and the choice of Condoleezza Rice as his replacement. They also had an interview with an American journalist to discuss the story. However, for all their attention to the story, they failed to mention one particular incident which is directly relevant to us.

It occured during the invasion of Iraq. After an alleged impasse caused by a sandstorm, Helen Clark pontificated knowingly that the war was not going to plan. This was an exceptionally silly thing to say as numerous "experts" had declared a far worse impasse in Afghanistan in the previous year only to witness the Taliban lose control of the country within the week. Normally this silliness would have disappeared from the news within twenty four hours except that the Arabic media, looking for any criticism of the Americans, picked it up and played it again and again. When the Americans heard about this, a furious Condi chewed out the NZ Ambassador. When the Ambassador was finally discharged from hospital, he got on the phone to Helen to tell her how furious the Americans were. Helen then wrote a grovelling letter of apology to George Bush (which she won't release) and since then she has refrained from pontificating about far away countries about which she knows nothing.