U.S. Rep Mistakes American Officials For Foreigners; Awkwardness Reigns

The Cable at Foreign Policy has documented the collapse of the American government. In a congressional hearing on Thursday, Rep. Curt Clawson of the 19th District of Florida, mistook two senior American officials, Nisha Biswal and Arun Kumar, for representatives from the Indian government, and repeatedly referred to relations between America and "their" government.

This is a perfect video. Clawson's shit-eating grin as he's running through his points, totally nailing it in his head; the abrupt cut to Biswal and Kumar as they sit there just blinking at Clawson; the momentary stutter as Biswal gathers herself and gives Clawson about as clean a death as he could hope for there. Both Biswal and Kumar were introduced as American officials—they work in State Department and Commerce Department—and their full names and positions appeared on the witness list. According to Foreign Policy, Rep. Eliot Engel from New York went in for the kill when Clawson was done: "Thank you both for your service to our country, it's very much appreciated."

[ Foreign Policy]