As we the interns looked at the photo of his Excellency Samir Sumaida’ie, the Iraqi Ambassador to the U.S., we deduced that he was a James Bond type- dark and mysterious. Perhaps it was the way half of his face was darkened by a shadow, but I was curious to know how his Excellency would figure in our collective imaginations once we heard him speak. Sumaida’ie did not fail to impress. His discourse on Iraq was optimistic yet realistic. The serious nature of his words did not impede him from tossing in light-hearted remarks and responses. At one point he used a quote from Churchill that goes “Americans always do the right thing…After they’ve exhausted all the alternatives.” (more…)