After the mid-term update, Ambassador Crocker seemed so unenergetic that I worried about the diplomatic side of the mission.
Today, he had all the right characteristics. If L. Paul Bremer was easy to over-estimate, then Crocker is easy to underestimate.
His demeanor, studied or no, lends itself to sapping emotion from situations that probably already have too much. That's a good thing.
He seems to be one of those quiet types, who don't come off well in a flashy exchange to "make a point', but who gush a spigot of carefully thought out propositions, if you know enough to tap into the questions that they themselves have on the top of their mind.
He also had the best phrase of the afternoon: (to Senator McCain), "My confidence level is under control." What a breath of fresh-air compared to Condi and the WH "policy" crowd of days past.
[Runner up: Senator Byrd, "Don't buy that puppy" {that's chasing it's own tail}]
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Winner: Ambassador Crocker
