Editorial: Rooney’s Irish luck serves him well

‘ ‘ ‘ Most people have to be content with wearing green T-shirts and drinking green beer on St…. ‘ ‘ ‘ Most people have to be content with wearing green T-shirts and drinking green beer on St. Patrick’s Day. Not so for Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney, though. For his St. Patty’s, he was nominated to be the U.S. ambassador to Ireland. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘I am honored and grateful that such a dedicated and accomplished individual has agreed to serve as the representative of the United States to the Irish people,’ said President Barack Obama in a prepared statement about the nomination. ‘ ‘ ‘ At first we weren’t sure if this was a legitimate news story or some sort of St. Patrick’s Day festivity along the lines of dying the White House fountains green. But the story is legitimate, and ‘mdash; after some thought and consideration ‘mdash; we have to agree with the president that Rooney is a pretty good choice. ‘ ‘ ‘ Certainly he isn’t perfect for the position. Rooney’s age ‘mdash; he’ll be 77 in July ‘mdash; will probably be more hindrance than help to him, and the fact that he has no experience in international politics might put a damper on his activities as ambassador. ‘ ‘ ‘ But Rooney does have a long history of promoting Irish culture and history in the United States, as well as advocating peace between Ireland and the United Kingdom’s Northern Ireland ‘mdash; he co-founded the American Ireland Fund in 1976, which the White House estimates has raised more than $300 million toward promoting peace in Ireland. ‘ ‘ ‘ And given the recent escalation of violence in the region, a U.S. presence with a history of promoting peace and stability will likely be an asset. ‘ ‘ ‘ At least one group, the American Foreign Service Association, has opposed Rooney’s nomination, saying that the pick is representative of ‘the decades-old spoils system,’ which places underqualified candidates in important positions, and that Obama would have done better to pick someone who had history with the Foreign Service. ‘ ‘ ‘ But Rooney is at least as qualified, and perhaps more so, than many of the people who have held the position previously. This list includes Richard C. Egan, an electrical engineer and major contributor to President George W. Bush’s presidential run, and Jean Kennedy Smith, younger sister to John, Robert and Ted Kennedy. ‘ ‘ ‘ And besides, Obama did well by picking someone whose political views line up well with his own. The primary function of an ambassador is to serve as the spokesperson for a nation. Obama certainly wouldn’t want someone speaking for the United States who didn’t agree with his own policies or positions. It’s better that he should pick someone from his circle of trusted supporters, someone whom he knows will agree with his positions and be able to represent them well. ‘ ‘ ‘ Under those criteria, Rooney appears to be an ideal choice. People might argue that the appointment is just a reward for Rooney’s loyal support and fund raising efforts, but to us it appears that Rooney is a genuinely qualified individual. And if he serves the country as well as he’s served the Steelers, we shouldn’t have anything to worry about.