Governor Kaine's Mideast Journal, cont'd

On Friday, our last day, we focused on diplomacy, talking to three U.S. ambassadors before noon.  We had breakfast with Boyden Gray, Ambassador to the European Union, and Tom Korilogos, our ambassador in Belgium. We also met with NATO Ambassador Victoria Nuland.

Korilogos’ first words to me were, “What are you going to do about traffic in McLean?!” 
I laughed, and updated him on our current effort to reach agreement with the General Assembly on a long-term fix to our transportation challenges.

One last eight-hour flight, and the trip would be over.  It’s hard to imagine that we covered so much ground in five days, but it was a very valuable opportunity. 

Several thoughts come to mind as I write this, and I am sure more will occur in the weeks to come. 

Perhaps my biggest surprise was how interconnected the world has become.  When I worked as a missionary in Honduras, it took two weeks for one of my letters to get back home.  I had the opportunity to make a phone call only once every five or six months, and it would cost $75. Thankfully, the Virginians serving on the front lines have the opportunity to communicate with their families on a daily basis through e-mail and cell phones. 

Despite that, a number of the troops were handing me notes, scribbled on small sheets of paper, asking me to contact their spouse, or their parents, or a friend when I returned to Virginia. They simply wanted me to let their friends and loved ones know that I had talked with them and that they were doing well.  I have collected more than 150 of those pieces of paper.

I welcomed these requests.  Every week since becoming governor, I have hand-signed condolence letters to Virginia families who have lost a son or a daughter, a husband or a wife, or a sister or brother. 

I am working my way through my list of calls – as I write this, I have contacted about half of the people I promised to call – and the opportunity to talk to families about how well their loved ones are doing is not nearly so heavy a task.

Finally, there is this thought: the United States is the world’s great international power, and our successes and mistakes take on massive proportions due to our importance. 

Our support for democracy in tough conditions is noble.

And our need to acknowledge the interconnected world, and bring more allies along with us, is critical.