I like the sound of the new US Ambassador
Colin Espiner reports on the new US Ambassador. I like what I hear:
America’s new ambassador loves New Zealand already because it has most of his favourite vices.
David Huebner held a press conference at his new home in Lower Hutt shortly after his arrival in Wellington yesterday, and immediately established his credentials as a Kiwiphile.
The Flight of the Conchords, wine, cheese, beer and rugby are just a few of his favourite things.
Previously a Shanghai-based lawyer, Mr Huebner followed the rugby sevens in Hong Kong, eschewing American football as too effete.
“I respect the fact that even at the highest levels you don’t wear all that armour plating.”
Superb. He basically says the Super Bowl is for wimps. And he is possibly being mischievous being a gay lawyer labeling American Football as “too effete”. That’s just superb.
But his anecdotes and one-liners may give his staff the odd grey hair.
Mr Huebner, “just the right side of 50″ (he’s 49), said he had used up his State Department shipping allowance freighting his wine collection but had since discovered the quality of New Zealand viticulture.
“I’m looking forward to drinking from the top of the North Island to the bottom of the Mainland.”
Now that sounds my sort of Ambassador. His Excellency will be an early invite to The American Politics Appreciation Society in 2010, especially as we meet in a bar.
The first openly gay envoy appointed by President Barack Obama, he joked with one reporter who asked if he would dress up for the Wellington Sevens. “Would you ask a straight ambassador that question?“
And even better he has a sense of humour about himself.
December 10th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Wow, he loves the things that NZ supposedly holds dear…
how diplomatic…. oh wait.
December 10th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
He is also the non-resident ambassador to Samoa, where homosexuality is illegal.
December 10th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
I don’t want to be critical but that hair can only be a rug!
December 10th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
Do not get too excited with the new American ambassador.
He is here for a short time. Mr. Ambassador will be packing his bags to return to China after Obama’s defeat in 2012.
December 10th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
Thats not a sense of humour – that is narcissistic preening typical of openly gay public figures who think the world centers around their sexuality.
Pretty shallow if you ask me.
December 10th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
“The Flight of the Conchords, wine, cheese, beer and rugby are just a few of his favourite things.”
(sarcastic look) Oh come on now DPF, the man’s been briefed. if I was the Amb. to the USA I’d be going on about freedom and the American way. They’re just buttons you press.
Please note he didn’t say “I think Nuclear Free is where it has been at all along, and a Free Trade Agreement is long overdue”.
December 10th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
It was sounding so good DPF, until that bit about the first openly gay ambassador. Now America’s version of Helen Clark is doing what Helen Clark did — appointing homosexuals and lesbians to government positions. How excellent.
The more I see of this new president the more I think well of George W Bush.
December 10th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
Hmmm, I’m out of work at the moment: maybe I should pretend I’m gay, then I’d be more likely to land a Govt job, or a presenter job on TV.
December 10th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
He totally looks like Murray from Flight of the Conchords
December 10th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
Hands up anyone who actually gives a crap about his sexual orientation.
Seems to me its only the gays who make an issue of it.
December 10th, 2009 at 3:43 pm
I wonder what the US taxpayer would think of that!
December 10th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
It seems the final phrase of their National Anthem “The home of the “Brave” may have the same perverted meaning applied in some quarters to the word “hero”.
No doubt the former globetrotters Carter and Partner will be able to return hospitality in kind.
December 10th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
Let’s get one thing quite clear – David Huebner is not gay, he is homosexual.
Gay is a great word with numerous uses in daily intercourse and it is not the property of poofs.
December 10th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
DPF you have obviously never watched or played a game of American Football, the game is extremely brutal, the protection equipment does nothing as the technology has not grown at pace with the size of the athletes. What a disrespect to all the athletes that risk their health to play this marvelous sport. The physical nature of pro american football is easily on par with rugby and the mental aspect is arguably even more complex
December 10th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
Why was he assigned to NZ and not Saudi? Ah, because homos are fit for NZ but not acceptable in muslim countries ey…silly me….
December 10th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
mike tan A sport played by Americans that is more mentally taxing than union, is that why it stops every 10 seconds for the coach to tell them what to do next ?
You have never played union at any level so how would you guess that American football is equal in the physical sense ?
Here you are dear boy, some elegant violence.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_nBTmRc9LI
December 10th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
The game doesn’t stop every 10 seconds, only you see it that way because you are ignorant of the fact the coach is as integral to the game as any one of the players on the field. Each “stop” as you call it , is infact a phase of play, the game is comparable to violent game of chess played between the two coaches.
I appreciate your love of rugby, but let me advise you to put your conditioning to one side, and allow yourself to embrace a sport for what it is, rather than constantly comparing it to your own holy grail
The game of union, at the professional level, has degenerated from what was once a great game, into a game consisting of little more than kick and chase. Not to mention the level of power wielded by the generally incompetent referees
December 10th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
I can point you to infinite amounts of footage containing tremendously physical, bone crunching NFL plays, would this convince you to reconsider your position that its not as violent as rugby?
December 10th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
Dont get me wrong, i still love rugby, its just that i find myself enjoying the lower-level matches much more than the professional games. In this regard, i could say the same about American Football, however in American Football, i find the disparity between the professional game and the grassroots game to be less than that in rugby.
December 10th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
American Football is miles beyond Rugby in terms of physicality. When you put the pads on, you feel like you could run flat out into a brick wall, and that is what the players do, all of them built like Jonah. There are at least half a dozen hits every play, and the coach is heavily involved because each play in NFL takes more teamwork than anything in rugby.
Being a kiwi I still love Rugby though. I just don’t have a need to make false claims about it. Also GOH, that was a lame video, spear tackles and illegal plays are not especially tough.
December 10th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
I agree with you Sonny, in terms of comparing pro rugby to pro football, football is indeed miles beyond rugby both physically and mentally, and you are correct that pretty much all the players are of similar build to lomu. And you are again correct about the teamwork.
Grassroots rugby, i will conceed that it can be pretty damn violent, therefore i would continue to argue the physical aspect is equal to football here, but it is definetly arguable.
NFL is still the only game where you will see a 300lb+ man get put on the ground as if he was a scrawny school kid
December 10th, 2009 at 7:26 pm
Who….the small penised bigots at the top of this thread are consistent in their attempts to make themselves feel better about their own dubious sexualitys by bashing gays huh?
December 10th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
You learn something new everyday – I didn’t realise being a Kiwiphile was a vice.
Do you have to be ‘openly gay’ to be a Kiwiphile? Or can anyone apply?
December 11th, 2009 at 3:28 am
This guy is one of those gay guys that defines their life by their sexuality
I have same sex attractions but dont need it to define me,
The only person who needs to know is the other person sharing my bed or shower or sumtimes the kitchen table ect
December 11th, 2009 at 8:44 am
“Gay is a great word with numerous uses in daily intercourse and it is not the property of poofs.”
Is billybonkers saying he has gay intercourse on a daily basis?
December 11th, 2009 at 9:10 am
I don’t like Flight of the Conchords. I think it is depraved, and made unamusing by its complete lack of wit.
That it is successful in the US means nothing. So is the Jerry Springer show, and this is a TV series that debases the human race like no other.