If Susanne Montag had received a major, major award in Washington, D.C., I would have expected our ambassador to attend, regardless of the fact that the majority of Germans, as well as the present government disagrees with Susanne Montag.

I applaud you on your magnanimity. However, I must disagree that the opinions of the majority of Americans, or the majority of Germans for that matter, are irrelevant to the duties of the American and German ambassadors respectively. An ambassador is supposed to represent his people, and if most of his people feel a certain way about an issue, he is obligated to show decent respect to that opinion. Polls are not the be-all and end-all of leadership, but neither are they unimportant.