New Ambassador Takes Over

The New Irish Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Collins has taken up his position in Washington, D.C. He is officially in place from Tuesday, August 14.

Collins is an astute diplomat who has spent much of the last decade working on the peace process as a key advisor to Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern. As such he was deeply involved in the complex negotiations that led to the successful power sharing government.

Collins previously served in both New York and Washington. In New York in the mid-1980s he was press attach, which certainly furnished him with an inside knowledge of the U.S. media. In Washington in 1993 he served as a liaison with Capitol Hill, another invaluable role in terms of building contacts.

Following his U.S. stints and before advising the Taoiseach he served as ambassador to both Saudi Arabia and the Czech Republic.

The experience that Collins gained in his two American stints will certainly stand to him, as will his close relationship with Ahern which developed during their work on the peace process.

Good to say that America is in a safe pair of hands with Collins in charge at the embassy. The Dublin native will have his hands full, especially with the immigration issue and the plight of the Irish undocumented, but also with the continuing US response to the peace process in Ireland.

A major conference is planned for next year on the issue, and the Americans remain deeply engaged in a process that has been a big winner for both Presidents Bush and Clinton.

Collins will formally present his credentials to President Bush at the end of September, but no doubt he will be engaged on issues long before that.

Ahern Meets ILIR

Meanwhile, on the immigration issue two senior figures from the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR) met with Foreign Minster Dermot Ahern in Ireland recently.

Ciaran Staunton, vice chairman of ILIR and board member Bart Murphy met with Ahern for over an hour in his hometown of Dundalk, Co. Louth.

Both ILIR members came away impressed with the determination that Ahern showed to address the undocumented problem which, no doubt, will come back on the radar when the Irish Parliament resumes in the fall.

"The Irish government are making very clear they are totally committed to finding a solution to the issue of the undocumented," Staunton stated. "It is obvious that the vast majority of the undocumented members of our community are staying put in America, and we need to urgently find a solution."

Ahern expects to be in the U.S. in late September when he has United Nations obligations. It is likely that a strategy to deal with the issue will be in place before he arrives.

Giuliani Hammers Illegals

Still on immigration, it is sad to see how far Rudy Giuliani has slumped in his efforts to pander to the Republican right wing.

Giuliani recently announced his immigration advisors, and it is clear from the press release that he is intent on pursuing an enforcement only approach to the issue of the undocumented in the U.S., the biggest dead end imaginable in terms of actually solving the problem.

"Mayor Giuliani is a leader on ending illegal immigration because he understands that protecting our homeland is our nation's most important priority," said Robert Bonner, Giuliani's chief homeland security advisor. "He recognizes the need for a national immigration policy that puts our nation's security first by ending illegal immigration, securing our borders and identifying every non-citizen in our nation."

Nowhere in the release does Giuliani mention any program aimed at legalizing the undocumented, merely "identifying them." Maybe he can put a scarlet letter on their foreheads, or perhaps a star of David like the Nazis did to the Jews.

It is a shame, because when he was mayor of New York City Giuliani was a committed supporter of immigrants' rights and often spoke eloquently of the need to address the undocumented issue. Now he's just another right wing wannabe in search of the Republican nomination.

The question is, how can guys like Giuliani and Mitt Romney look at their faces in the mirror every morning, and square the circle between what they used to believe and what they believe now?

We are all for people's right to change their minds, but when they are doing it just to pander to the lunatic wing of their own party it surely has to be personally unsettling. Then again, that is politics.

Kelly for Mayor?

Still on New York politics, it is looking increasingly likely that NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly will be a candidate for mayor next time around in 2009 when Michael Bloomberg steps down.

The very popular police commissioner has done an extraordinary job in keeping the city safe and would be a hot favorite to win if he decides to run.

Media sources reported recently that Kelly had met with some political consultants to discuss a possible political future. There is little doubt that he would be a formidable candidate, but it may well come down to what Kelly feels he wants to do.

He is in his mid-sixties and hardly at the stage in life where he wants to retire. However, mayor of New York is the toughest job around, and he may not want to take on the task, given that it is hardly well compensated and occupies every waking hour.

The guess here is that he will likely be a candidate, and probably as a nominal Republican like Bloomberg as it gives him much easier access to the ballot, and he does not have to face a slew of primary challengers.