An Evening with Mark Russell

January 15, 2009 - Lucy

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By far, the Ambassador from Pakistan was the best speaker that we heard from this week. I must admit, I expected that the Ambassador’s presentation would be the most contentious: tough questions from the students answered with formulated and purposely vague responses. Rather, the Ambassador presented us with a worldview that was wise and practical, and full of humor. He presented a very realistic assessment of the challenges that his country faces, along with the region as whole, and its relations with the United States. Having been in exile during the rule of General Musharraf, Ambassador Haqqani seemed to me a man with a great understanding of the world. He said, “hope is not a method”, which I took as a recognition of accountability and a call to action.

Later, we were lucky enough to catch the second half of the confirmation hearing for the next Attorney General (apparently we were on C-Span!). I've witnessed some tense moments during hearings before, but only on television. In the few moments during this hearing when Senator Arlen Specter openly questioned Mr. Holder's integrity and sparred with Committee chairman Senator Leahy, the entire audience held its collective breath. I'll admit, it was pretty cool. But, it was also a moment of realization for me that, after all, these men and women are just as human as us. It's easy to forget that - sometimes, we perceive the government as having an aura of infallibility that inevitably leads to disappointment and disillusionment. Perhaps remembering the words of the Ambassador will lead to us as citizens taking a more active role in our democracy.

-Lucy

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