Longtime spokesperson Richard Boucher, a prominent figure in the State Department, passes away at the age of 73.
Top Diplomat Richard Boucher Passes Away at 73
Here's the scoop, mate. We're talking about Richard Boucher, a bloke who was an eyeful of U.S. foreign policy for over a damned decade. This hardcase kicked the bucket at his home in Norfolk, Virginia, after a vicious fight with spindle-cell sarcoma. His grieving son spilled the beans.
Boucher was the man on the State Department podium, a frequent face across multiple administrations, starting with the Bush the Elder joint and ending with the two Bushes. He was an essential cog in the machinery, serving as the mouthpiece for James Baker, Madeleine Albright, Colin Powell, and Condoleezza Rice, the big cats of U.S. diplomacy.
This fellow traveled far and wide, from the Peace Corps in Africa and Asia to the front lines of Washington. He even swung by Hong Kong during the 1997 handover of the territory from Blighty to the Middle Kingdom, a significant diplomatic event marking a major shift in the region. He subsequently leveraged his Chinese know-how to help sort out the 2001 U.S.-China spy plane crisis, reducing tension between the giants of East and West.
After leaving the State Department, Boucher didn't rest on his laurels. He bounced around as Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia and the U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Charles Wolfson, a retired CBS journalist who rubbed shoulders with Boucher, didn't mince words. He tagged the man as a superb diplomat, a cracking spokesman, and an even better human being. Bloody top marks from him!
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