Read My Pins (13 page)

DAVID KARP
Speaking on Middle East peace at the National Press Club. My dove was flying, but I felt faint.

UPI
Dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Rabin, whose assassination in 1995 was a profound tragedy.

I wore the dove pin again when paying my respects to the victims of genocide in Rwanda, 1997.
Peace dove and necklace, Cécile et Jeanne.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE/USIS

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE/USIS

Diplomatic negotiations often proceeded more slowly than hoped. I stocked up on turtles to signify my impatience and wore the crab when aggravated.
Crab, Vertige.

In the three years that followed, I devoted more time to the Middle East than to any other region, as did President Clinton. Although I often wore the dove, I found cause—when displeased with the pace of negotiations—to substitute a turtle, a snail, or, when truly aggravated, a crab. Sadly, none of the pins proved equal to their assigned task. Today, long after Mrs. Rabin’s hope-filled gesture, the dove remains in need of reinforcements.

The frustrations of Middle East diplomacy were a constant reminder of the responsibilities that come with the job of secretary of state. I loved representing the United States but never stopped wondering how well I would measure up; thus I never stopped working. This attitude was reflected in a pin I had bought in Paris, made of gilt metal and wrought into a stylized Atlas holding up the Earth. I felt that America’s duty was not to try to do everything itself, but to foster a sense of commitment that would bring out the best in every country. My intent in wearing the pin—which I took only to the most important meetings—was to indicate to my colleagues that, collectively, we had the weight of the world on our shoulders. As a joke, my diplomatic security team made up a T-shirt that portrayed me as Atlas, a role with which I would have been uncomfortable for two reasons: First, in most early depictions, Atlas appears naked; second, his actual task in Greek mythology was not to hold up the Earth—which was considered flat—but to hold up the heavens. Although my spirit would have been willing, I am much too short for that.

other designers unknown.

two purple, black, and gold turtles, Isabel Canovas;

two purple, black, and gold turtles, Isabel Canovas;

other designers unknown.

Black and white turtle, Lea Stein;

two purple, black, and gold turtles, Isabel Canovas;