Washington, D.C. - The White House announced today that controversial radio talk show host Don Imus will serve as interim ambassador to the Republic of Botswana, replacing former ambassador Katherine Canavan, who has been missing since December 2002.
Asked about the selection of Imus, who is currently on a two-week suspension for racist remarks made on his radio show, an administration spokesperson said, "Don Imus is a true American icon who will represent the values of this great nation to the people, if you want to call them that, of Botswana. We don't choose ambassadors based on some popularity contest, but on their merits."
When asked what qualifications Imus had for the ambassadorship, the spokesperson said that Imus had talked about Africa on his show once and that he wears a cowboy hat.
In a phone interview, Imus reacted to his appointment. "I am truly honored to be offered this ambassadorship. Quite honestly, I'm still trying to locate the country on my map. Is it Africa or South America…? Africa. Okay. So, yeah, it will be exciting to share American culture and progress with a bunch of knuckle-draggers barely out of the Stone Age. I'm taking a lot of chocolate bars and shiny beads with me."
MSNBC announced today that former ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton will replace Imus behind the microphone with a new radio talk show entitled, "Shut the F*** Up!".
