Me and Senator McCain

Dan and I joined the Foreign Service as a way to see cool stuff and other countries without the unpleasantness of the Peace Corps. That goal has been met in spades – we have had great fun touring Jordan and Duffy got to fly in a helicopter and ride in motorcades. Dan has made friends with people at the Jordan-Israel border crossing and knows a lot of prison wardens – which hasn’t come in handy yet but may.

In the long list of cool things that have happened since coming to Jordan, I was in charge of Senator McCain’s visit to Jordan yesterday. He was GREAT! Unbelievably funny and smart and accompanied by the equally likable Senators Lieberman and Graham. His visit also meant I got to see (but alas not meet) the King and Queen at their palace. Yes she really is very, very pretty.
Here’s me and Senator McCain at the hotel.

Here is a shot from the press conference that colleagues and I organized. During the few days between when his visit to Jordan was announced and his arrival, media interest in his trip grew and the number of journalists and cameramen in attendance jumped from an estimated 15 to about 50. Unfortunately US coverage focused on his mis-speaking - Jordanian coverage focused on the fact that he met with the King.