Faleomavaega Looks Silly Chairing Hearing

You know the old question: "What if they gave a party and no one came?" Well, that pretty much sums up the time wasted on an Asia-Pacific subcommittee hearing on Central Asia last week. Rather than summarize the proceedings, I will let the words of Joshua Kucera speak for themselves. Writing for the respected on-line journal Eurasianet.org, the Washington, DC,-based freelance writer--who specializes in security issues in Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Middle East--had this to say:

Poor attendance at the hearing suggested that Central Asia is a waning priority among members of Congress. Only two members showed up to the hearing: Eni Faleomavaega, the chair of the subcommittee and a Democrat from American Samoa, and Ruben Hinojosa, a Democrat from Texas. Both showed shaky knowledge of the region, mispronouncing the names of many of the countries in the region and frequently digressing on issues that [Assistant Secretary of State Richard] Boucher said were outside of his portfolio, including missile defense in Europe, the possibility of a boycott of the Olympic opening ceremony in Beijing, and excessive profits of oil companies.

You won't read about this hearing in local media.