The outlandish style of US Ambassador to Finland Bruce Oreck makes some Americans angry. But the enigmatic diplomat–whose main qualification for the job seemed to be his campaign contributions–has defenders in Finland. In Finland, Bruce Oreck is beloved. In response to our article “Is Ambassador Bruce Oreck Making A Fool Out of the US?,” one Finnish citizen wrote: “As a Finn, I welcome a man like Bruce Oreck. With good sense of humor, he distinguish himself from the dump mass of career diplomats. Sorry, but you need hundreds of men like he to polish the image of the nation after the damage made by G. W. Bush and his administration. Bruce is great!”
And the Oreck love kept coming. “Ambassador Bruce Oreck is excellent and highly respected person here in Finland. Most of the Finns just love him…In Finland we have been very lucky, US ambassadors have been great persons all, but I personally think that Mr. Oreck is the best!” Another writes that thanks to Bruce Oreck, “I found American embassy’s library here in Helsinki. It is open to all and there is a lot of books of American society, economy and history…[Oreck fosters] a good interaction with Finnish people, I think it helps U.S. citizens working and visiting in Finland.” Still more: “Oreck has done a helluva good job. He’s cool, modern and easy to approach. He’s given inspirational speeches especially regarding entrepreneurship in Finland. No way is he making a fool our of the US.” So there is the view of US Ambassador Bruce Oreck from the Finland Station.
