JL;DR SUMMARY Morgan Ortagus, a former State Department spokeswoman, transitioned from aspiring opera singer to a political career that includes serving in Baghdad, Riyadh, and Washington, D.C. Her unlikely journey included converting to Judaism from evangelical Christianity, a process she began in Baghdad, inspired partly by her Jewish boyfriend. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.