quote:

Golda Meir, the prime minister of Israel in the early seventies, had as her foreign minister Abba Eban, who spoke perfect English (better than mine, by far). At the time, President Nixon's secretary of state was Henry Kissinger, a German-born American who spoke English that was far worse than mine.

One time, Nixon said to Meir, "We both have Jewish foreign secretaries, Madam Meir."

"Yes," said Meir, "but mine speaks English."