I m familiar with your country; I love your country.
— Rep. Curt Clawson, R-Florida, mistaking two senior U.S. officials for representatives of the Indian government — so, you know, their country is the same as his. Nisha Biswal and Arun Kumar, officials at the State Department and Commerce Department, respectively, were introduced as U.S. officials. But Clawson still was confused. (See video below.) Clawson made his remarks — which, as Foreign Policy noted, included talking about his favorite Bollywood movies — during a congressional hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee last week.
As the Mercury News has reported, Kumar grew up in India, but he s an American who s a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur and executive at a handful of tech companies including Silicon Graphics. He retired as partner and member from accounting giant KPMG last fall — just before he was nominated by President Obama to become assistant secretary and director general of the United States and Foreign Commercial Service for the Department of Commerce. Kumar was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in March.
When Clawson asked the two officials for cooperation from your government, the other official, Biswal, responded by saying: I think your question is to the Indian government. We certainly share your sentiment, and we certainly will advocate that on behalf of the U.S. According to Wikipedia, the Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs with the State Department immigrated to the United States with her parents. The day after the hearing, she tweeted: Honest mistake by new Member of Congress -but the strength & beauty of America is its diversity. Proud to represent my country & Prez Obama.
Clawson has said sorry, according to USA Today. I made a mistake in speaking before being fully briefed and I apologize. I m a quick study, but in this case I shot an air ball, said the lawmaker, who won a special election last month to replace a congressman who resigned.
Freshman Congressman Mistakes Senior Government Officials for Foreigners from Foreign Policy on Vimeo.
Photo at top: Arun Kumar, a retired KPMG partner and also the author of Plain Truths, at his home in Los Altos Hills on Tuesday, November 23, 2010. He is now a senior U.S. Commerce Department official. (Nhat V. Meyer/ Mercury News)