Domani Spero at Diplopundit ("one of the best niche blogs for Foreign Service folks") correctly identified some unfair criticism.
Money quote(s):
"You’ve heard about that earth shaking news on the US Embassy staffing in Iraq? The State Department Spokesperson Victoria Nuland had to address the topic in yesterday’s Daily Press Briefing, and threw our Embassy Baghdad employees under the bus. How could you, Victoria?"
Amb. Nuland's bio can be read here. Her previous postings include (from most-recent to earliest):
2010-11 "Special Envoy for Conventional Armed Forces in Europe," (D.C.-based, presumably lots of time elsewhere);
2008-9 National War College, (Ft. McNair, D.C.);
2005-8 NATO, (Brussels, Belgium);
2003-5 "Principal Deputy National Security Advisor to the Vice President," (D.C.);
2000-3 NATO, (Brussels, Belgium);
1999-2000 "two years at the Council on Foreign Relations as a “Next Generation” Fellow," (D.C. or NYC, presumably);
1997-9 Department of State (D.C.);
1996-7 "State Department Fellow" at CFR, (D.C. or NYC, presumably);
1993-6 "Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary of State," (D.C.);
1991-3 Moscow, (Russia);
1988-90 Soviet Desk, (D.C.);
1988 Ulaanbaatar, (Mongolia);
1987 State Dept., (D.C.);
1985-6 Guangzhou, (China);
Draw your own conclusions about this particular career trajectory, but Amb. Nuland is clearly what the Air Force would call a "fast burner." She's gone straight to the top.
(By way of disclaimer, CAA has never met the lady in person but has heard her speak (live) and was favorably impressed.)
That being said, she's probably not the best person to go on record characterizing her fellow employees, stationed in what is still a war zone, as "wingeing."
"(J)ust to be clear, not enough aragula has never been a hardship in Iraq or in other diplomatic posts around the world. Salad greens are not foremost in your mind, especially if you need to wash them in Clorox, and rinse them with bottled water three times before you eat them. Freeze-dried aragula is much better, yum! Of course, the US Embassy in Iraq is unlike any other in the world. Our diplomats cannot just run out to a grocery store in the Green Zone to buy lunch or dinner, or even tree bark coffee. It turns out their food supply had to be brought in from elsewhere.
And so if they are now low on sugar or Splenda, or if the cafeteria is rationing chicken wings on chicken wings night, you gotta ask the question — what happened to the command and supply structure?" (Bold typeface added for emphasis. - CAA.)
As Omar Bradley may (or may not have) said: "Amateurs study tactics, while professionals study logistics." All the synergy, transformation, and press releases in the world won't matter if our embassy staff in Baghdad have to start relying on local sources of provinder.
Would you trust that foodstuffs procured locally, and in mass, from Iraqi vendors, would be safe from tampering, adulteration, or even more lethal substitution?
"Did State anticipate that crossing the borders now manned by Iraqis would be messy? Did they anticipate that the Iraqis would want to approve/deny entry of supply convoys but that the government may have no process in place, but will never admit it? Did State anticipate the multiple layers of bureaucracy required to approve entry of frozen chicken wings, and salad bar weeds trucked in from Kuwait? Is there a new SOP on what to do if the Iraqi guards do on chay break the rest of the day while supply trucks gets barbequed under the sun?"
As Messrs. Ringo and Kratman wrote in "Yellow Eyes," Ch. 8 (sec. 1, cl. 7): "The ability of a State Department fool to deny unpleasant reality is deservedly the stuff of legend."
2/8
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