Over there... doing something...

From the same country that brought to you “Bin Laden is somewhere but where we know he isn’t”, comes a new announcement. This time is “Our man will do something somewhere”. ¿Is it clear?

Dennis Ross has been appointed by the State Department as the special envoy special advisor for the State’s Secretary for Iran the Gulf and Southwest Asia. Kind of. Because that is just what bloggers, journalists and analysts around the World believe that Robert Wood, speaker of the Department, said, when presenting Ross in his new role:

"QUESTION: Can you give us – well, what is the State Department’s definition geographically of Southwest Asia? What countries does that include?
MR. WOOD: Matt, I didn’t --
QUESTION: No, you guys named an envoy for Southwest Asia. I presume that you know what countries that includes.
MR. WOOD: Yes. Of course, we know. I just – I don’t have the list to run off – you know, right off the top of my head here. But obviously, that’s going to encompass – that region encompasses Iran. It will – you know, it’ll deal with --"

Of course. Why bring a list of the countries under Ross’ responsibility to the press conference for Ross appointment?

From all that forest of words we can say that Ross will be able to get into the affairs of the special envoys (these really are envoys) to Israel & Palestine (George Mitchell) or Pakistan-Afghanistan (Richard Hoolbroke). And according to the words of Mr. Word, even in the North African affairs. Who knows, maybe the Gulf means Biscay Gulf, because omitting the world “Persian” looks unlikely deliberated. Is just to avoid offending the Arabs?

Obama plays once again with the appointments. He sends to Iran, a country that denies the Holocaust the Gulf and Southwestern Asia a Jew very close to Israel. And to Israel, he sends Mitchell, a politician more neutral than Switzerland that was widely criticized when appointed because of his mentioned neutralism. The AIPAC can be relaxed for now, some others, not.

Back to the Ross issue, it looks like if he is going to be everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Or like some already nicknamed him, he’s going to be the Keyser Söze of American politics. With influence in everything, with power over anything.

These poor guys... You let them without Google for a few hours and they cannot find the correct words for their speeches -that's, by the way, the real reason because he wasn’t appointed until 9pm.

Photo: AP