Cowboy diplomacy

Secretary of State John Kerry looks to be scoring early points for diplomatic gift-giving with what we hear was a hit of a present to his counterpart, British Foreign Secretary William Hague, during a stop in London last week.

Kerry presented Hague with a pair of fine tan Western-style leather boots purchased from Silver Creek Outfitters in Ketchum, Idaho. (Kerry and his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, have a home nearby in Sun Valley, and the SecState has been known to sport a few pairs of his own from the purveyor). The kicks were handmade in Texas (natch) by the famed Lucchese Boot Co., and they had Hague’s initials hand-tooled into the shins by an Idaho saddle maker. We’re told they went over big, with Hague promising they would be “well worn.”

Kerry’s fashion flourish may have inspired a bit of an across-the-pond trend: Prime Minister David Cameron and Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne apparently expressed interest to U.S. officials about getting their own pairs.
No doubt Kerry owes a tip of the 10-gallon hat to ambassador and chief of protocol Capricia Marshall, who helps select such diplomatic gifts.

They appear to be getting off on the right foot.