New Ambassador A Surprise

TO say that the new ambassador to Ireland designate Thomas C. Foley, 55, is an unknown quantity would be putting it mildly.

Despite numerous questions to leading Irish Americans in the Greenwich, Connecticut area where Foley hails from, no one seemed to have come across him. Meanwhile, organizations such as the American Ireland Fund who would normally have scouted out someone of his stature if they had expressed interest in Ireland knew nothing of him.

Foley is clearly part of the reliable Bush old guard, a man who has been a close associate of the Bush family for decades. In the old days, when the Bushes were still Connecticut royalty, Foley became a family friend and supporter and has remained so ever since.

He has also been a huge fundraiser for George W., no doubt a significant factor in him securing the Dublin job, as well as active in helping in the Iraqi war effort.

Such credentials, especially the Iraq connection, will not endear him to many, especially the media in Ireland, and he may expect a rough ride at first from elements there. Running the Iraq private sector development which was the focus of a number of alleged scandals with sweetheart deals for corporations friendly with the Bush administration may not be the best recommendation.

Foley certainly showed chutzpah going to Iraq, however, and it is hardly surprising that he gets a plum ambassadorship as a result. It is not exactly a job that will tax him as much as Iraq did.

In addition, of course, he is a Bush Pioneer, one of the inside group that raised massive sums for the president, and his relationship with the man himself is said to be very warm and friendly.

It is worth pointing out that his predecessor James Kenny was equally unknown when he took the job, and certainly he has impressed greatly during his time in Ireland.

Foley Attacked In ‘Times’

FOLEY was attacked in June 2004 in a New York Times article by columnist Paul Krugman which cast aspersions on his business expertise as part of a column castigating President Bush for appointing cronies to key Iraq positions.

“Still, given Mr. Bremer’s economic focus, you might at least have expected his top aide for private sector development to be an expert on privatization and liberalization in such countries as Russia or Argentina. But the job initially went to Thomas Foley, a Connecticut businessman and Republi-can fund-raiser with no obviously relevant expertise,” Krugman wrote.

Foley’s answer was swift and well phrased, outlining his qualifications in a letter.

“I was in Iraq for seven months as director of private sector development. My biggest challenges were restarting state-owned and private businesses, restoring credit and investment, and reforming outdated laws and policies — not privatization. These required management and problem-solving skills and financial expertise, not a narrow privatization background.

“My M.B.A. from Harvard, years of experience at McKinsey and Citigroup and 15 years owning and managing businesses were ideal for this role. One of my first hires was Jacek Kwasniewski, the former deputy minister of privatization in Poland, to oversee the privatization effort.

“Mr. Krugman includes my appointment in his charge of ‘cronyism.’ If the administration wanted to reward a friend, it would have come up with something better than seven months of 16-hour days and seven-day work weeks dodging rockets and mortars and living in a trailer.”

Kenny Good on North

WITH the announcement of Foley’s appointment it seems that current Ambassador James Kenny will be returning to the U.S. sooner than he had hoped for.

Kenny had expressed the desire to see the current phase of the Northern peace process through, including the restoration of the Assembly earmarked for November.

Now, obviously, that will not be the case which is a grave disappointment for many connected with the process as Kenny is generally acknowledged as one of the best ambassadors in Dublin in recent times.

He has been particularly active behind the scene on the North and has created excellent relations with key figures in the peace process, including Sinn Fein leadership figures.

Kenny was also an astute reader of the local political scene in Dublin and was widely popular de-spite the fact that he was representing an administration that was probably the least popular among Irish people in modern times.

McCourt Goes Green

HE has had many incarnations in his life but Malachy McCourt, Green Party candidate for governor of New York, is certainly experiencing one of his most interesting phases.

McCourt, who if you don’t know by now is the author, raconteur and political activist extraordinaire, certainly will make the governor’s race more interesting.

Indeed, there is a possibility he might get more votes than the Republican candidate, John Faso, who is a virtual unknown.

Green Party registration is booming, mostly because of the war in Iraq and disgust over Democratic support for it. McCourt, who decided to run after a radio caller dared him to, will get the vast majority of those votes.

Of course, in typical Malachy style he issued one of his cryptic quips when asked what he would do if he wins. “I’d demand a recount,” the 74-year-old political neophyte announced.