re: "Stop “whining” about the salad bar to the NYT, it’s “inappropriate”"

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

re: "State Dept to Baghdad employees: Stop “whining” about the salad bar"

Josh Rogin at The Cable ("Reporting Inside The Foreign Policy Machine") is following the Arugula-Gate story.

Money quote(s):

"The State Department in Washington has a message for the 16,000 employees at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad: If you can't get arugula in the cafeteria, just deal with it and stop complaining to the New York Times." (Emphasis in original text. - CAA.)

Note that this mention of "arugula" comes from the Department of State, or at least press coverage of the Department of State, in Washington, D.C.

"According to the Times, embassy employees and contractors are so restricted from doing things in Iraq, it has become a waste of money to keep them there. The story contained many gripes from embassy staff, whose supply chains have been disrupted due to the departure of all U.S. troops in December.

"Within days [of the troop pullout], the salad bar at the embassy dining hall ran low. Sometimes there was no sugar or Splenda for coffee. On chicken-wing night, wings were rationed at six per person," the Times reported."

Chicken wings. Sugar. Splenda. Salad. So "arugula" is not mentioned in the NYT article?

""Does the State Department consider, you know, not enough arugula to be a hardship in Iraq?" one reporter asked."

Ah, so this "arugula" is something that a reporter first brought up, at a Washington, D.C., press conference at the State Dept.

Funny, isn't it, that although the first mention of this "arugula" stuff is by some journalist back stateside, it's the embassy staff in Baghdad who're being pilloried for their fancy-schmantzy tastes in salad bar fixings.

Take a look at the folks in the picture illustrating Mr. Rogin's article. Take a look at those faces, in particular the beefy guy (he's got "security" written all over him) on the far left of the picture.

Do any of these people look like "arugula" eaters? Do any of these people look like they could pick "arugula" out of a selection of lettuce varietals?

Can anyone give me the rough distance (miles, kilometers, or nautical miles are acceptable) from our embassy in Baghdad and the Whole Foods store where that unnamed reporter does his (or her) shopping?

2/8

re: "State Dept. Makes Us All Look Stooopid"

The Phibian at Cdr Salamander ("Proactively “From the Sea”; leveraging the littoral best practices for a paradigm breaking six-sigma best business case to synergize a consistent design in the global commons, rightsizing the core values supporting our mission statement via the 5-vector model through cultural diversity.") took objection to remarks by State Dept. spokesperson Victoria Nuland.

Money quote(s):

"The PRC is a sovereign nation with legitimate maritime security requirements that are easily understood by anyone with an even rudimentary understanding of where maritime strategy and commerce come together.

The fact that the DOS would ask this in public does too things; it insults the Chinese through its patronizing tone and it makes our nation look like it is led by arrogant imperialists at best, simpletons at worst."

I wonder if our institutional gobsmackedness on this particular issue is due to the residual embarrassment of those who really believed that the Varyag was actually ever going to be converted into a casino.

I mean, if you believed that one, you'd believe just about anything.

"I find all the wide-eyed panting over the Chinese carrier immature and silly.

It is a limited carrier with a limited airwing. The French CVN Charles de Gualle is a much more capable platform and we have seen what it can do off Libya. Nice, but no biggie.

I am more interested in how we would kill the Chinese carrier if we ever needed to. That is no problem at all.

As a matter of fact - in the case of general war, I would give the job to the Japanese."

Frankly, the Varyag says more about Chinese naval intentions in the longer term than about what they're likely to do with it next week or next year. Clearly it'll be the test bed and school house for development of naval aviation operations over the coming decades.

Perhaps the Chinese have doubts about future U.S. ability to ensure open sealanes. The Chinese economy has become increasingly dependent upon its ability to import raw materials and energy by sea. Developing their own ability to guarantee open sealanes could explain much of this.

"If you want to nibble your nails over the Chinese, then nibble over the multi-axis "Porcupine Strategy" they have for the Taiwan Strait that wants to make the prospect so painful to contemplate that we simply won't go there. They don't need a carrier for that. SS, Houbei Class, ASCM, ASBM, H-6M and other land based long range strike aircraft; that is what you should focus on; that is the challenge. Simple, but in numbers and worth a sober ponder.

Against our carriers coming across the Pacific, they only need to get lucky once; we have to get lucky every time. "

8/13

re: "Curious, Strange, Whatever -- Victoria Nuland is Officially Announced as New State Dept Spokesperson"

Domani Spero at Diplopundit ("Just one obsessive observer, diplomatic watcher, opinionator and noodle newsmaker monitoring the goings on at Foggy Bottom and the worldwide available universe") provided a run-down on issues relating to this appointment.

Money quote(s):

"The Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs is the head of the Bureau of Public Affairs within the United States Department of State. Typically, the Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs is also the official spokesperson of the State Department. The Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs reports to the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs ("R").

On May 26, 2011, the State Department announced the appointment of Ambassador Victoria Nuland as State Department spokesperson. She takes over PJ Crowley's old gig at the podium but unlike PJ, she will not be dual-hatted as Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs."

Those two jobs probably should be kept separate, if they're going to be done competently and without burning the office-holder to a cinder.

"(C)an you really say "no" if POTUS or VPOTUS asks you to serve in such and such a position? And if you say "yes" does that mean you're also saying goodbye to your career as a professional diplomat when a next administration is sworn in?"

It's nice to see a career officer not being tarred by the faithful execution of their sworn professional duties under a different presidential administration.

As of last month (if not earlier), Amb. Nuland was on the job as spokesperson.