So who do you turn to if you’re an embattled administration facing an unpopular war, bitter criticism both at home and abroad, an exodus of senior staff, and the barrel of a long year’s worth of lame ducked-ness?
A retired general? Nope. A political mastermind? Nah, that would be too easy. Perhaps a captain of industry? They’re too busy starting and running multi-billion dollar foundations.
Well, then how about someone who made his name by getting up and going to work everyday? Cha-ching! That must have been what Condoleezza Rice and Karen Hughes were thinking when they named recently inducted Hall-of-Famer Cal Ripken, Jr. to be a Special Sports Envoy for the U.S. State Department.
The Office of the Under Secretary of State for Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy, under the auspices of Hughes, created the public diplomacy position in order to improve the American image abroad by encouraging Americans from all walks of life to engage in the country’s diplomacy efforts. Cal was the second envoy named, with the first being figure skater Michelle Kwan. Ripken’s first trip will be to China in the fall.
While those of us who are lifelong Orioles fans will never object to anything honoring Cal, there is reason to be skeptical that these goodwill ambassador-type positions will have the intended P.R. effect. We know Cal will do his best, but let’s face it: it will take more than sports to improve our standing in the world court of public opinion, even if baseball could catch on in the rest of the world. If we were in his shoes, we’d likely spend most of our time trying to hang out with goodwill ambassadors from the U.N. in hopes of someday meeting Angelina Jolie.
