Ashok Kumar Mirpuri, Singapore’s new ambassador to the U.S., was introduced to ... more >Foreign ambassadors to the U.S. meet the president in the Oval Office. The State Department is open to them, and members of Congress are eager to greet them.
But the diplomats, with the exalted titles of "excellency and plenipotentiary," do not really learn the ways of Washington until they have dinner with Esther Coopersmith.
On a recent, unseasonably warm evening, Mrs. Coopersmith initiated the new ambassador from Singapore.
Ambassador Ashok Kumar Mirpuri noted he had heard about Mrs. Coopersmith's power dinners since he and his wife, Gouri, arrived in town six months ago.
"Esther Coopersmith presents every ambassador who comes to Washington," Mr. Mirpuri said after he took his seat as the guest of honor at a dinner with more than 50 influential Washingtonians. "Thank you for sharing your friends with us. That's what a new ambassador needs."
Mrs. Coopersmith, a U.S. ambassador to the U.N. in the Carter administration, has hosted top hat guests for years at her elegant townhouse just off Embassy Row.
At the dinner for Mr. Mirpuri, her guests included State Department officials, lobbyists, foreign policy specialists and journalists, along with Ambassadors Mohamed M. Tawfik of Egypt and Dino Patti Djalal of Indonesia.
"We are here to welcome a new ambassador and his lovely wife," Mrs. Coopersmith said. "He has big steps to fill."
Mr. Mirpuri replaced Ambassador Heng Chee Chan, who spent 16 years in Washington and was the second-longest serving foreign ambassador in the United States when she returned to Singapore last year.
Mr. Mirpuri -- who has served as Singapore's ambassador to Australia, Malaysia and, most recently, Indonesia -- called Washington "the capital of the most powerful country in the world" but admitted being puzzled by the U.S. government.
"You have a confusing political system," he said. "There's a lot to learn about politics here."
In his Southeast Asian city-state of 5.5 million people, politics are simpler. The People's Action Party -- with a symbol that looks like a red lightning bolt striking an Obama "O" -- has won every general election since independence from Malaysia in 1965.
Kennedy for Canada?
Caroline Kennedy is the latest name in the guessing game over who will become the next U.S. ambassador to Canada.
Ms. Kennedy is the only surviving child of President John F. Kennedy, whose assassination in 1963 secured the family a legendary place in American history and bonded the Kennedy White House with visions of the mythical kingdom of Camelot.
Canada's National Post newspaper this week reported that Washington insiders say President Obama is considering Ms. Kennedy for the posting to Ottawa.
Chris Sands, a Washington-based specialist on U.S.-Canada relations, told the Post that her appointment would give Canada a "chance to deepen the relationship." Ms. Kennedy was an early supporter of Mr. Obama's in the 2008 presidential campaign.
Other names mentioned for the position: Detroit Mayor Dave Bing; Jennifer Granholm, a former Michigan governor who was born in Canada; Christine Gregoire, a former governor of Washington state; Brian Schweitzer, a former governor of Montana; and Olympia M. Snow, a former senator from Maine. Mrs. Snow is the only Republican in the lot.
Call Embassy Row at 202/636-3297 or email jmorrison@washingtontimes.com. The column is published on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
© Copyright 2013 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.
James Morrison joined the The Washington Times in 1983 as a local reporter covering Alexandria, Va. A year later, he was assigned to open a Times bureau in Canada. From 1987 to 1989, Mr. Morrison was The Washington Times reporter in London, covering Britain, Western Europe and NATO issues. After returning to Washington, he served as an assistant foreign editor ...
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
The cold hard truth about politics in America today and the state of this once great nation.
This column will cover anything that has anything remotely to do with the game of baseball, from the game itself to mid-summer trades to offseason moves.
Great discoveries in the world of restaurants and chefs fulfill the quest for delicious food and cooking.
World's Ugliest Dog Contest
26 Photos
Spelling Bee finale
45 Photos
Marines train Afghan soldiers
4 Photos
Rolling Thunder 2013
24 Photos
Benghazi: The anatomy of a scandal
13 Photos
