Foglietta served in the House until 1997 , when he resigned and was appointed ambassador to Italy by President Bill Clinton . Upon his nomination , the '' Philadelphia Daily News '' published an editorial that stated : " In 68 years , Thomas Michael Foglietta will have made it from a rowhouse at 7th and Clymer to the embassy in Rome on a smile and a trustworthy handshake . Which , as it turns out , is an excellent way to travel . " The 1998 Cavalese cable car disaster happened during his tenure in Rome ; in the accident , a U.S. military aircraft flew too low , severing a gondola cable , resulting in the deaths of 20 skiers . Foglietta visited the accident site and knelt in prayer , offering apologies on behalf of the United States . An editorial in '' La Repubblica '' , an Italian newspaper remarked : " Yesterday it was up to Ambassador Thomas Foglietta to do something we Italians do less and less . Foglietta expressed his apologies on behalf of President Clinton and the American people for that terrible tragedy and kneeled down in prayer for the poor victims . " Foglietta died in 2004 following complications from surgery
Cavalese cable car disaster
Cavalese cable car disaster (1998)
Thomas M. Foglietta