The Dear Leader is having trouble staffing his little nation-building experiment over in Iraq. State Department diplomats, sensibly enough, don't want to get blown to bits in the Green Zone. Condi's solution? Force 'em! But there's some dissention in the ranks:
At a rare, contentious meeting, foreign service officers told senior State Department officials that the move to fill vacancies in Baghdad puts them in danger, jeopardizes the well-being of their families, and could deplete the ranks of those willing to serve overseas at a critical time. Several diplomats said privately they would resign rather than accept orders to serve in Iraq.
[snip]
Jack Crotty, a senior Foreign Service officer who has worked overseas, told his superiors that being forced to serve in Iraq is a "potential death sentence and you know it."
"It's one thing if someone believes in what's going on over there and volunteers," he said, according to the Associated Press, "but it's another thing to send someone over there on a forced assignment."
What to do? Well, we know that College Republicans and Young Republicans won't serve in the armed forces (other priorities). Maybe they'll sign up for the foreign service and help out their president. It must be less dangerous than actually fighting.
It's their war - why aren't they diplomating it? You can ask them here and here.
Mr. b, you are SO right. Nation-building with an extreme likelihood of watching it detonate is fraught with peril - valuable experience these Yellow Elephants can take into the private sector. If they survive.
Posted by: tata | November 01, 2007 at 02:22 PM
I think Jonah Goldberg, with his insouciance and les mots juste, should be first in line to handle such delicate diplomatic chores.
Posted by: actor212 | November 02, 2007 at 06:54 AM
Forced assignment? What do you call sending the National Guard, which is charged with assisting in emergencies here at home?
Posted by: Miss Cellania | November 02, 2007 at 07:53 AM
I think the guys and gals over at LGF, Red State, Capin's Quarters, Atlas, Flopping Aces, Malkin, Coulter, etc etc should all be forced into service in Iraq.
Posted by: PoliShifter | November 02, 2007 at 11:40 AM
Maybe the Pentagon is also short on cod pieces.
Posted by: mandt | November 02, 2007 at 12:37 PM
The Young Republicans actually have a good excuse not to join the Foreign Service - they've never believed in diplomacy. Remember, this is the "isn't that why we have the Air Force?" crowd.
If you told them that diplomats were really responsible for picking bombing targets, or acting as forward air controllers, there's be a stampede of yellow elephants. True, they'd still be running in a panic away from actual service, but at least they'd be motivated...
Posted by: RepubAnon | November 04, 2007 at 08:45 AM
Do you really want the Diplomatic Corps to become even more politically tilted like all of the rest of the government has become?
Then again, they probably are already as politicized as the DoJ and other departments... And that is why they refuse to go to Iraq. Because they are already TOW-the-safe-side-of-THE-war-LINE republicans.
Posted by: Connecticut Man1 | November 04, 2007 at 10:09 AM
"Do you really want the Diplomatic Corps to become even more politically tilted like all of the rest of the government has become?"
At least a little insight on what a war really looks like would turn them into isolationists.
Didn't republicans usta be isolationists?
Posted by: Brianm0122 | November 04, 2007 at 01:12 PM
Why not use a "Ferengi" (Star Trek) approach and con them into thinking they'll be great opportunities to profit from state Dept duty in Iraq? You'd need to craft an elaborate facade of "exceptional, high-margin business opportunities" there, but it could work with the Right (excuse the pun) salesmanship. So long as the lil' Reaganites believe they'll richly cash in on some "can't-miss emerging markets opportunity," they'll take the bait. Their god is cold, hard cash -- they can't help themselves but grab at the green stuff.
Posted by: TC-12 | November 04, 2007 at 06:06 PM
Gee I wish my grand daughter could have refused to go to Hell to serve. I raq is such a nice place to die, if you like 120 degree heat and in constant danger of being blown up. What a vacation spot.
Posted by: Jim Hyder | November 05, 2007 at 03:04 AM
You'd need to craft an elaborate facade of "exceptional, high-margin business opportunities" there, but it could work with the Right (excuse the pun) salesmanship. So long as the lil' Reaganites believe they'll richly cash in on some "can't-miss emerging markets opportunity," they'll take the bait. Their god is cold, hard cash -- they can't help themselves but grab at the green stuff.
Posted by: TC-12
Shouldn't be too hard...
Posted by: actor212 | November 05, 2007 at 08:19 AM