Keith Ferrazzi, for whom I have enormous respect and with whom I agree more often than not, has posted an entry in his blog lauding Assistant Secretary of State Kristen Silverberg as a champion of "Brand USA," promoting relationships between the United States and the rest of the world. Ferrazzi describes Silverberg as charming and intelligent, not surprising in a Harvard graduate and Supreme Court clerk. All the more pity that Ms. Silverberg's talents have consistently been employed in a bad cause. My comment on Mr. Ferrazzi's post follows:
Ms. Silverberg's bio, to which you link, highlights among other accomplishments her service in the Office of the Chief of Staff of the current administration and as an adviser to L. Paul Bremer in Iraq. As a member of an administration that led a rag-tag coalition of countries (excluding most major powers) in an invasion based on false statements to the United Nations about Weapons of Mass Destruction, excluded other countries from the rebuilding of Iraq, and staffed the Green Zone with unqualified Republican Party hacks, how can Ms. Silverberg have any credibility when it comes to building relationships? See Bob Woodward, State of Denial and Rajiv Chandrasekaran in the Washington Post. Thanks to the administration that Ms. Silverberg serves, Brand USA is badly tarnished worldwide.