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Way to go Ken! It's great to see one of the all time greats in Baseball history get involved!!!

why hasn't incompeleeza rice been indicted for war crimes yet. I am sure glad she has here priorities straight. KG Jr. is a joke just like all of the rightwing neocon cowards.

Marek November 18th, 2008 3:22 pm ET
I don't think Coni'd a liar…she did what she was told to do. Simply like those who serve our great nation in the military, she was just following orders…period!!

Yeah! And those brave, heroic German soldiers who served their country guarding the concentration camps, they were just following orders too!!

BEN-VENISTE: Isn’t it a fact, Dr. Rice, that the August 6 PDB warned against possible attacks in this country? And I ask you whether you recall the title of that PDB [President's Daily Brief]?

RICE: I believe the title was, “Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the United States.”

Incompetence in government kills.

baseball envoy to the world...80% of the world does not know this stupid sport

america has no culture

condi your time in the white house is numbered, why hire new people?

I agree with bobbybomb : )

Andrew K, Chicago: No reason to be bitter because you're Cubs fan.

funnily enough the article on the ticker "Obama selects 1st black attorney general" is no longer open for comment....

well moderator-i guess you'll close this one out for comment when people start saying stuff like:

"SURPRISE SURPRISE.....NOW SPORTS FIGURES ARE GOING TO REPRESENT OUR COUNTRY IN A POLITICAL ROLE?!...WHO'S NEXT MICHAEL JORDAN OR MIKE TYSON CAN BE THE HEAD OF NATIONAL SECURITY....MAYBE WHITNEY HOUSTON CAN RUN THE D.E.A!!!"

WHAT A FRIGGIN' JOKE!!!! "NO'BAMA"

Finally, we have a true outstanding individual we all can look up to,especially Condoleezza ,whom is a hug baseball fan herself. Good move Obama, you got a two-fer...

@No Bail, You are an idiot. Condi Rice was the worst of the bunch except maybe Bush and Cheney. She was too willing to do Bush's bidding. Bush made her Secretary of State when he should of asked Powell back. She was his lap dog and never disagreed with him on anything..

Condi is part of the Bush Administration. That means she is part of the problem. Ken? He's an athlete, has no place in politics. Hey, Obama, have you hired Oprah yet? Hired any white people? Hired anyone who is biracial? What a bunch of losers.

Ken Griffey Jr. for Sec. of State! If he comes to a disagreement with foreign nationals.. he can just beat 'em up with a bat

Why Not..who are all you people? Grow up! Give the guy a chance.

Ken Griffey, Jr., your on the wrong team.

A lot of people are saying a lot of snappy things about this. Hell, I'm just glad it's positive news about a guy who wants to do positive things. It's not much of a story, but good luck Ken. Glad you are trying to give back.

Peace.

Ken Griffey, Jr. is so incredibly annoying. I'd much rather see Barry Bonds in this role, no joke.

This is so cool. Griffey is my favorite soccer player.

IS THE USA RECRUTING BASEBALL PLAYERS???????

Ryan Howard got robbed again!

Many years ago, KGJr. distinguished himself as the only player to sneak out of the stadium through a side door after a game to avoid the kids who had waited in the parking lot for an hour or more, thinking that they might get an autograph. The other players all appeared and interacted with the kids, but not Jr. I was the father of one of these kids, and I was not impressed. Now he's talking about helping kids. Perhaps Jr. has learned some degree of humility, or perhaps he is still a prima donna who only thinks of himself.

he makes tens of millions off of playing a game and even more from endorsements.
i'd say that ranks under current american idealism...

Griff your talents will inspire more sports heroes to step up.

I have a 22 yr. old son who thinks the world of you and this will help to inspire him and other young adults step up.

I am glad that your mind is on the right track.

*********Go Mr. Griffey Go********

Public Diplomacy Envoy? All I can say is "Mission Accomplished"

wow, I am amazed by Americans. They want fresh people,no they will travel with tax payer money, no they will not represent well. Cmon folks, spit what you want!

why cant normal citizens hold these type of positions?

as if being a celebrity isn't enough???

i wonder how many celebrity and journalist spies we have out there?

Yes, because nothing makes America look like a progressive, peace loving nation than to send over one of our overpaid, mindless sports entertainment drones.

I'm sure the starving peoples of the world will really appreciate us sending one of our rich and over privileged to tell them how "we feel their pain".

Also, ".....with spreading 'the values of the United States' in large part by helping to spark 'interest in America and in our culture.'"

...I believe Hitler tried that one. Hold on, I have to go find my history encyclopedia to read how that one turned out....oh.

Coming from a Chicago Cubs fan...

...this will do nothing but give the narrow-minded White Sox fans to the south of me something *else* about which to boast.

You smell that

NEWS MUST BE REALLY SLOW TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!

I WISH THEY WOULD HAVE SOME BREAKING NEW ABOUT OBAMAS BIRTH PLACE WHICH IS VERY EASY TO LOOK UP!!!!!!!!!!!!

Condoleezza Rice is a very intelligent woman and an amazing person. In many ways it a great accomplishment for her to have made it to Sec. of State. It is sad that people cannot see beyond the partisanship.

Nothing like following in the footsteps of...FRAN DRESCHER???

Excellent choice!!!

"She noted that Griffey is uniquely qualified to engage young people given his stature as one of the best-known players in what is arguably the country's most famous sport.", she said.

dont forget to hire one person each from other sport – basketball, hockey, football, horse racing, golf, each event from the summer and winter olympics, criquet, nascar. not everybody loves baseball, 3 hrs of hitting a ball and running around in circles like a bunch of headless chickens. not everybody knows him. i think condi's mind is....going, going, way gone.

Umm... why?

This is great. I can just feel America moving in a new direction. The great part about an Obama Administration is all people will be represented, the face of the REAL AMERICA!

HUH?

How much is it costing us?

and what exactly is this dude supposed to do? HE HE HE

He will be employed for 63 days then a new administration. Leave it to Bush to offer fluff to the public. You lost your job, you lost your house, your kids are off to fight in 2 wars that the public is unhappy with, our tax dollars are thrown at helping corporate America without so much as a pittance to the taxpayer, so here is your Rah-Rah Guy to make you feel so good, so American. Insulting.

Now batting for the State department….number 24……Ken Griffeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey Juuuuuuunior! (Hip hop hooray ho hay ho hay…)

Woa, wait a second... Fran Drescher is a diplomatic envoy?

.....but Fran Drescher? Really?

okay..... not sure it's "newsworthy", but okay.
I think it's fine, Griffey is a good man and will be a good envoy for kids and people who love baseball..... a positive guy showing a positive side of our Nation.

As a longtime Mariner fan, I love the Griffeys. They are a solid American family and inspiration for many athletically minded youths.

But this is awfully interesting nonetheless!

Is he retiring?

I had no idea that KGJr. had anything to do with politics.

well hell have the job for a few months then he can sign with the mariners again and ill have a reason to pay the exorbiant prices to see the mariners again...one of the few ball players who plays for the love of the game...i miss his back wards cap "the kid" nickname watching him rob the opposing tema of a homer by defying gravity and his trademark swing how he waited till the ball cleared the wall before starting the trot around the bases....im realistic he is 39 years old but the washington state misses him...and well what do we have to loose after our string of dissapointing seasons....

Yeah, because everyone in Slovenia knows who Ken Griffey jr. is.

Marek,

Condi lied through her teeth in the most important interview she ever gave... to the 9-11 commission.

As for Griffey, yeah, sure, rah, rah, btw, does it mean anything at all?

At least he doesn't have that nasal Queens thing goin on. I mean, really, Drescher? Really? Is her voice the voice of diplomacy, or a secret weapon?

Fluff piece.

what is he going to accomplish in less than two months? No one can salvage this hip of mess in such a short time. What's condi doing appointing people, she should be packing her bags and leave governing to the competent leaders now being formed.

Wonder if it'll bump his rookie card's value up

Does he get paid or this is all voluntering? This inquiring mind wants to know.

Positive republican. As a life long republican I am sooooo ashamed and disgusted by Limbaugh and Hanity. I voted for Obama and I want a united and positive America!!! This is good!!!

I don't think there are that many people outside the states who know this guy, no body cares about baseball except Japan, Cuba, Dominican Republic and the US ...and I bet he is not trying to go Cuba anytime soon ...

so how long does he have this job for.. until jan 20?

Don't pay any attention to the sideshow behind the curtain. Rice's time is almost up and she's trying to pull a fast one on us.

Don't leave angry or sad, just leave. Tick, tock.....

It's a little late for that, isn't it Rice? You and Georgie trashed this great nation and on the 11th hour, you want to send Ken Griffy, Jr. around. Do the young people know you trampled the Constitution and supported the worst president ever? I don't think so.

Go out gracefully, and stop pandering. Oh, and could you be any more obvious. Everyone knows you want to be a sport's commisser, so why are you pandering to make brownie points with future employers. You are a joke.

What a great suggestion and honor this must be for Mr. Griffey. I wish him well and I do hope that he can do some good and restore baseball's image that is still in need of repair both at home and abroad!

Ummm, Ken G. Jr. is great and all, but to say baseball is oour "most famoous" sport. It is a distant, very distant second to Football and if you include college football it is a distant third.

marek wrote: "I don't think Coni'd a liar…she did what she was told to do. Simply like those who serve our great nation in the military, she was just following orders…period!!"

That sounds disturbingly like what the Brown Shirts said at Nuremberg. Do you want to really hold that up as the right thing to do?

Well, he can't really be called a home run hitter anymore, so I suppose it's time for a title change.

Way to go Condi !!!

Griffey will be great, but I hope he'll be greater than he was for my beloved White Sox last season . PS to the fools out there – Nobody lied, so get over it. There's a difference between being wrong and being a liar. And Obama won, Bush is leaving... it's OVER. Just like Republicans need to get over Bill Clinton, still re-living 1998 on a daily basis. It's pathetic and mindless hatred.

Awesome! Griffey is what all MLB players should strive to be more like. In other countries where baseball is an international pasttime (many Latin-American ones, and Japan, for example), he could have an impact.

I´ve never heard of the guy. Baseball... it's not a sport, it's just statistics with an occasional homerun to watch – which take hours. How this combination could make good diplomacy beats me. You have to come up with something that people out in the real BIG world cares about. Until then Condis choice just cements my opinion that USA is selfcentered and can't think outside the box

Finally, There's one that didn't work for Bill Clinton and is a true Washington outsider. And appointed by a Republican to boot!! Now the multi-millionaire baseball player can travel the world on the taxpayer dime. What a world!?

Great choice

What and how is he to do what it is that he has been picked to do? I think with out new President this might be a none issue post.

Outstanding news! As a Cincinnati Reds fan following Griffey all of these years, I have always seen him as not just a great ballplayer, but as a truly good person. Great to see him taking on a role like this!

Looks like the worst President in U.S. history is running out of things to talk about.

so?

Shame on you Ron. Condi was the only bright light in the administration after Powell left!

Keepin' it positive.....please keep it positive! The real winners are always the ones who have others best interests at heart and then act on it.

Sweet I hope this makes his 1989 Upper deck Rookie card go up in value!!!! I have 5 of them.

Ken Griffey, Jr., good, good, great, Condoleeza, going, going, GONE

I don't think Coni'd a liar...she did what she was told to do. Simply like those who serve our great nation in the military, she was just following orders...period!!

umm does this mean that Griffey will now be on the Holiday Inn Express commercials?

That was a great choice. Griff is a great role model and an all around great person. He will be great!!!

Positive stuff.

I love Griffey, but what is Rice doing making appointments when she's out of office in 8 weeks? What's next: Bush appointing Sarah envoy to the evangelicals?

Yeah, Ken Griffey Jr., good going...... Boo, Condoleeza Rice, Liar, Liar, Liar .....

I'm putting together a book on specific examples of the Bush administration trampling on our rights over the past 8 years. If you have a specific example, please post the details (please don't use real names) and I will accumulate the results and include a sampling in my book.