Behind The Mic With Joe Mathieu: Hollywood Diplomacy

BOSTON (CBS) - I think we all had the same reaction when this came out.

Steven Seagal?  You mean that Steven Seagal?

I assumed it was a joke at first.

But, no. It was real.

Members of the United States Congress traveled to Russia for meetings that were brokered by Seagal – the face of action movies in the 1980's and 90's, known for such American classics as "Under Siege" and "Half Past Dead."

We're told he's very connected in Russia. He even met with fellow tough guy Vladamir Putin at one point.

The purpose of the Congressional delegation was to investigate the background of marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

Not sure what it says about our diplomatic relations with Russia when we need a washed-up movie star to arrange meetings with foreign officials.

But let's remember this comes only a couple of months after Dennis Rodman traveled to North Korea to meet with Kim Jong Un.

So maybe America is onto something here.

They say our greatest export is entertainment. Music and movies. So why not have a foreign policy that includes celebrity diplomats?

Just not the successful ones who are busy right now.

We clearly still need someone to help deal with Iran and Syria. And I think I've got just the guy for the job: MC Hammer.

Just wait until they get a load of those pants.

You can follow Joe on Twitter @JoeMathieuWBZ.