I have discovered the art of deceiving diplomats. I tell them the truth and they never believe me.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
As a journalist, I try to avoid talking to American diplomats, because I am stunned again and again by just how little grasp they have of what people are really feeling in a country. Especially CIA guys. Maybe they're just really good at playing stupid, but I don't think so.
Frankly, most governments are used to lying to each other - to a degree that most people would find shocking. Part of diplomacy is the art of strategic lying.
Diplomats make it their business to conceal the facts, and politicians violently denounce the politicians of other countries.
Even when I was at CIA, I'd go to visit foreign leaders and I'd say, 'You know, I'm not a diplomat. I'm just an old CIA guy'... I said, 'If I wanted to be diplomatic, I'd have been a diplomat.'
I'm not always the most diplomatic person.
Like Prince von Bismarck in diplomacy, I have no secrets.
I'm a diplomat by nature. I help find the middle ground. I crack a joke and use humour to help resolve potentially vicious situations quickly. It gets things in perspective and helps everyone to see that things aren't as bad as they seem.
Do not deceive or be faithless even with your enemy.
I've worked as a diplomat before I became a politician.
I am an undiplomatic diplomat.