WASHINGTON -- Howard Dean rose to the top tier of Democratic presidential candidates after collecting $7 million the past quarter, but his quick tongue got the former governor of Vermont in trouble with African-Americans.
Dean was having difficulty on NBC's "Meet the Press" June 22 answering moderator Tim Russert's questions testing his knowledge of the federal government. Asking him how many troops are in active duty in the U.S. military, Dean said, is "like asking me who the ambassador to Rwanda is." Some black politicians were offended that Dean cited the U.S. envoy to an African country, whose name he obviously did not know, as unimportant trivia.
The U.S. ambassador to Rwanda appointed by President Bush in 2001 is Margaret K. McMillion, a veteran foreign service officer specializing in Asian and African affairs.