Curt Weldon: The Troublemaker

A tale of two Curts
In foreign affairs, there are often two Curts. There's the "fiery" military intellectual, feverishly reminding the world that Taepodong-2's are pointing at Hawaii. Then there's the affable Curt, the human Curt. The one who can sit across from the nuclear negotiator as easily as he would the fire chief in Marcus Hook and ask, "What do you need?" and then try to get it. Human Curt came out in April, when he met with the South Korean ambassador about the ongoing six-party talks. "I can continue to put pressure on the administration," he said. "I will tell the northern delegation that Congress is ready to help them."

There's a very old job in government for which this portfolio is traditionally suited. It's called secretary of State. Weldon insists he doesn't want the job. "Too much protocol. Too much bullshit." And then, "I'd have to implement someone else's foreign policy. If I'm not the one writing the policy, I don't want to.

"I don't see myself as a freelance diplomat," he continued. He knows he doesn't represent the president, he has no power to negotiate treaties. He's more of a goodwill ambassador, with a rough edge. "Our goal" in North Korea, he said, "was to show the human face of America." To show them "we don't want war."

After meeting with North Korean officials, Weldon said he made a breakthrough. His official interpreter, who had accompanied U.S. representatives on many trips to Pyongyang, told him, "Congressman, that was the first time I've ever seen the North Koreans smile."

In October 2003, Rice successfully blocked Weldon's planned second trip to North Korea. He penned a scathing rebuke to Bush, calling the presidential staff's approach "arrogant and disrespectful." Weldon said that Card told him it was "one of the hardest letters the president has ever read." At the time, Weldon told his local paper, the Delaware County Daily Times, that he smelled hypocrisy. "These same neoconservatives applauded me when I went on two similar trips when [Bill] Clinton was president. Now that Bush is in power, they want me to go away, and that's not going to happen."

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