- She will do an excellent job;
- She will enjoy it;
- She will be a star performer on the Washington Diplomatic circuit;
- She will do a much better job at forging links with an Obama Administration than would Don Brash;
- We disagree with those (you know who you are) who say her hubby will be a liability. We are not sure he would want to go, but if he did he would be able to further his academic research in the US in a way that would be both useful for him and New Zealand. He will be fine at cocktail parties and Diplomatic dinners (those questioning his abilities at yesterday's BBQ have not seen him in action - we have);
- If Helen's long term plan is to find a position with an international organisation, then she will be better placed in Washington to pursue these opportunities than from the back benches of the New Zealand Parliament. Of course New York would be even better in this regard. Has there been an announcement on Rosemary Bank's replacement? Rosemary is talking about a departure reasonably early next year which would be a good fit............
In summary, this appointment would be good for Helen, good for new Zealand and good for the world.
