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Post by jdredd on Oct 20, 2018 1:41:22 GMT -5
Perhaps we need a thread on Secretaries of State. We've had some real doozies (a geezer term). And just to show I'm not completely partisan, Hillary was one of the worst.
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Post by jdredd on Oct 23, 2018 1:30:56 GMT -5
On the other hand, who give a sh%t about the Secretary of State? Of course, war criminal Henry Kissinger was interesting. And Colin Powell helped lie us into our war on Iraq. Plus Hillary's stint helped expose her worthlessness.
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Post by jdredd on Dec 7, 2018 20:15:48 GMT -5
www.nytimes.com/2018/12/07/us/politics/trump-tillerson.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage"WASHINGTON — President Trump denounced his first secretary of state, Rex W. Tillerson, as “dumb as a rock” and “lazy as hell” on Friday after Mr. Tillerson said that the president had regularly pushed him to take actions that were illegal. Mr. Trump, who fired Mr. Tillerson with a Twitter post in March, lashed back at him the same way after the former secretary gave a talk in Houston and said Mr. Trump was undisciplined, did not like to read and did not respect the limits of his office. “Mike Pompeo is doing a great job, I am very proud of him,” Mr. Trump wrote on Friday afternoon, referring to the current secretary. “His predecessor, Rex Tillerson, didn’t have the mental capacity needed. He was dumb as a rock and I couldn’t get rid of him fast enough. He was lazy as hell. Now it is a whole new ballgame, great spirit at State!” This is hilarious! I don't remember a former Secretary of State and the President who appointed him going after each other like this! Did the GOP cut a deal with the Devil to get a Republican President into the WH no matter who or what he was so they could get their agenda (tax cuts and deregulation) and now the price is starting to be paid?
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Post by jdredd on Mar 30, 2019 20:43:02 GMT -5
www.nytimes.com/2019/03/30/us/politics/pompeo-christian-policy.html?action=click&module=News&pgtype=Homepage"JERUSALEM — When Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sat down for an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network in a hotel in Jerusalem earlier this month, he made a remark that was perhaps the most revelatory of any in his nearly one year in office. An evangelical Christian, Mr. Pompeo had just returned from tours of the rch of the Holy Sepulcher, built on the ground where Jesus is said to have been crucified and buried, and of tunnels beneath the Western Wall, by the holiest site in Judaism. The interviewer posed a question around a biblical tale about a queen who saved Jews from slaughter by a Persian official: Did Mr. Pompeo think President Trump had been “raised for such a time as this, just like Queen Esther, to help save the Jewish people from the Iranian menace?” “As a Christian, I certainly believe that’s possible,” Mr. Pompeo said. “It was remarkable — so we were down in the tunnels where we could see 3,000 years ago, and 2,000 years ago, if I have the history just right — to see the remarkable history of the faith in this place, and the work that our administration’s done, to make sure that this democracy in the Middle East, that this Jewish state, remains. I am confident that the Lord is at work here.” Ha-ha! Here is the face of the evangelical hypocrisy that got Trump elected.
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Post by jdredd on May 7, 2019 10:49:21 GMT -5
www.nytimes.com/2019/05/07/climate/us-arctic-climate-change.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage§ion=Climate%20and%20Environment"ROVANIEMI, Finland — Under pressure from the United States, the Arctic Council issued a short joint statement on Tuesday that excluded any mention of climate change. It was the first time since its formation in 1996 that the council had been unable to issue a joint declaration spelling out its priorities. As an international organization made up of eight Arctic countries and representatives of indigenous groups in the region, its stated mission is cooperation on Arctic issues, particularly the protection of the region’s fragile environment. According to diplomats involved in the negotiations, at issue was the United States’ insistence not to mention the latest science on climate change or the Paris Agreement aimed at averting its worst effects. The omission is especially notable because scientists have warned that the Arctic is heating up far faster than the world average because of rising greenhouse gas emissions." "Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the final speaker, said the United States was committed to protecting the “fragile ecosystem” of the Arctic. But he focused much of his speech on concerns about expanding Chinese influence in the region." Politics is all about distraction. Don't worry about that (climate change)! Worry about this (China)!
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Post by jdredd on May 8, 2019 14:43:38 GMT -5
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/04/mike-pompeo-bully-boy-calls-at-no-10"American secretaries of state can be earnestly dull, like John Kerry, or plain brilliant, like George Marshall; they can be Machiavellian, like Henry Kissinger, or intensely political, like Hillary Clinton. Mike Pompeo, the bluntly spoken, present-day incumbent who will discuss “shared global priorities” with Theresa May in London, is simply a problem. As last week’s failed US pressure tactics in Venezuela showed, the former army officer, Christian evangelical and ex-CIA director favours a muscular approach to diplomacy. His messianic drive to force regime change in Iran is another example. He recently suggested Donald Trump had been sent by God to save Israel from Tehran’s mullahs.Speaking in Cairo in January, Pompeo celebrated US support for dictators such as Egypt’s Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and the Saudis’ war in Yemen. Next month, he will help unveil a peace plan that could destroy any lingering Palestinian hopes of an independent state. But he makes no apologies. “I’ll put it bluntly,” he declared. “America is a force for good in the Middle East.” What is worse, having a fanatic like Mike Pompeo as SOS, or an incompetent like Hillary? The jury is out, depending on what happens while Pompeo is in office..
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Post by jdredd on Jun 20, 2019 1:17:55 GMT -5
www.nytimes.com/2019/06/19/opinion/iran-united-states-conflict.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage"Reflecting the administration’s propensity to inhabit a fantasyland, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has offered a ridiculous 12-point plan that essentially called for Iran to roll over and surrender. I was in Paris over the weekend for the annual meeting of the Trilateral Commission, and it’s sad to see how distrustful our allies have become toward America. Instead of forcing Iran into submission, Washington’s incompetent bullying of Europe and Asia to join Iran sanctions has managed to antagonize our oldest friends, push Iran back toward a nuclear path and increase the risk of war."
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Post by jdredd on Aug 22, 2019 10:19:07 GMT -5
www.nytimes.com/2019/08/22/opinion/mike-pompeo-afghanistan.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage"Hawks once understood this — just as they understood that America paid a steep price in strategic and moral credibility when it bugged out of its international commitments, squandered the sacrifices of American troops for the immediate political benefit of a sitting president, and betrayed the vulnerable populations we had endeavored to protect against a barbaric enemy. Don’t just take it from me. “As a former Army officer, it is gravely concerning to see any president of the United States play politics with critical national security issues,” one conservative lawmaker said in 2011 of Obama’s initial decision to begin a drawdown of U.S. forces. “This decision puts both the lives of American troops and the gains made on the ground in Afghanistan at risk.” That lawmaker was — who else? — Mike Pompeo. If the secretary has a sense of shame, he might consider apologizing to Obama for adopting the same policy he once so loudly denounced. If he has a sense of honor, he might consider resigning rather than fathering the catastrophe that may soon befall Afghanistan. I’m confident he’ll do neither." Here's Bret fighting a rearguard battle for the folks against an "Afghanexit". Peace is good, but only on our terms."
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Post by jdredd on Sept 18, 2019 14:14:08 GMT -5
www.nytimes.com/2019/09/18/world/middleeast/us-iran-saudi-arabia.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage"Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Iran on Wednesday of having carried out an “act of war” with aerial strikes on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia last weekend, and he said the United States was working to build a coalition to deter further attacks. Mr. Pompeo’s words were the strongest so far from any American official regarding the attack on Saturday in Saudi Arabia, which severely impaired production at the leading oil exporter and raised fears that tensions between Iran and the United States could escalate into a new war. Despite Mr. Pompeo’s statement, President Trump pushed back against another American military entanglement in the Middle East, speaking only of unspecified new sanctions on Iran. Asked about a possible American attack on Iran, Mr. Trump told reporters in Los Angeles: “There are many options. There’s the ultimate option and there are options a lot less than that.” I always enjoy it when a Secretary of State and a President are not quite is sync. I wonder though, how many GI's want to die for Riyahd. Oh, I forgot, they don't care what they are fighting for as long as they get to kick ass. All they need to be told is they are fighting for "Freedom".
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Post by jdredd on Sept 27, 2019 16:27:40 GMT -5
www.nytimes.com/2019/09/27/us/politics/house-democrats-impeachment-trump.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage"WASHINGTON — House Democrats, kick-starting their impeachment inquiry into President Trump, subpoenaed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday, demanding he produce a tranche of documents related to the president’s dealings with Ukraine. Separately, they instructed him to make five State Department officials available for depositions in the coming two weeks. A failure to do so, the leaders of three House committees wrote jointly, would be construed as “evidence of obstruction of the House’s inquiry” — an offense Democrats have made clear they view as grounds for impeachment." Ha-ha! Little Mikey is the first Trumpie in the Dem's line of fire!
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Post by jdredd on Oct 30, 2019 23:46:41 GMT -5
www.nytimes.com/2019/10/30/opinion/trump-cabinet-worst.html?fallback=false&recId=362754119&locked=0&geoContinent=NA&geoRegion=CA&recAlloc=top_conversion&geoCountry=US&blockId=published-assets-bq&imp_id=24179976&action=click&module=Most%20Popular&pgtype=Homepage"The results are in, people, and it’s a landslide. Your choice for Worst Trump Cabinet Member is … Attorney General William Barr! Barr was cited for multiple non-achievements. There was his misrepresentation of the findings of the Mueller report. And the decision to respond to Robert Mueller’s warning about Russian intervention in American elections by — as one voter put it — “opening investigations into the investigators.” The bottom line was a quaint conviction that the attorney general is supposed to work for the public, not the president. “I cannot believe I am stating this, but Jeff Sessions had more respect for the law,” wrote Diana from Centennial. Second place went to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. “Silence on Ukraine, sycophant to Trump, continues to demoralize the State Department, lack of support for his ambassadors,” wrote Isabelle Stillger, launching off in a very long list of complaints about Pompeo’s failure to … pretty much everything."
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Post by jdredd on Nov 5, 2019 14:27:17 GMT -5
www.nytimes.com/2019/11/04/us/politics/mike-pompeo-ukraine-state-department.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage"Mr. Pompeo’s spreading of a false narrative at the heart of the Ukraine scandal is the most striking example of how he has fallen off the tightrope he has traversed for the past 18 months: demonstrating loyalty to the president while insisting to others he was pursuing a traditional, conservative foreign policy. Mr. Pompeo, 55, now finds himself at the most perilous moment of his political life as veteran diplomats testify to Congress that Mr. Trump and his allies hijacked Ukraine policy for political gain — and as congressional investigators look into what Mr. Pompeo knew of the machinations of Mr. Trump and Rudolph W. Giuliani, the president’s personal lawyer." Haven't Secretaries of State always been toadies of the President? Which is why this is probably a weak thread.
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Post by jdredd on Nov 18, 2019 14:18:30 GMT -5
www.nytimes.com/2019/11/18/opinion/mike-pompeo.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage"It seems like every story you read about Secretary of State Mike Pompeo always includes the sentence that he graduated “first in his class” from West Point. That is not a small achievement. But it is even more impressive in Pompeo’s case when you consider that he finished No. 1 even though he must have flunked all his courses on ethics and leadership. I guess he was really good in math. I say that because Pompeo has just violated one of the cardinal rules of American military ethics and command: You look out for your soldiers, you don’t leave your wounded on the battlefield and you certainly don’t stand mute when you know a junior officer is being railroaded by a more senior commander, if not outright shot in her back. The classes on ethics and leadership at West Point would have taught all of that. I can only assume Pompeo failed or skipped them all when you observe his cowardly, slimy behavior as the leader of the State Department. I would never, ever, ever want to be in a trench with that man. Attention all U.S. diplomats: Watch your own backs, because Pompeo won’t."
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Post by jdredd on Jan 8, 2020 1:06:38 GMT -5
www.nytimes.com/2020/01/07/world/middleeast/pompeo-trump.htmlWASHINGTON — Last week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was the loudest voice in the administration pushing President Trump to kill Iran’s most important general. This week, he is back in his role as the nation’s top diplomat, trying to contain the international crisis the general’s death created. True to form, Mr. Pompeo is not backing down. “You saw, more tactically, just these last few days the president’s response when the Iranians made a bad decision to kill an American,” he told reporters at the State Department on Tuesday, referring to a deadly rocket attack in Iraq on Dec. 27 by an Iran-backed militia. “We hope they won’t make another bad decision just like that one.” The strike against the Iranian general has affirmed Mr. Pompeo’s position as the second-most powerful official in the Trump administration, behind only the president himself. A hawk brimming with bravado and ambition, Mr. Pompeo is ostensibly the cabinet member who smooths America’s relations with the rest of the world. " Just when I was beginning to think the SOS was of no importance.
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Post by jdredd on Mar 30, 2020 12:51:39 GMT -5
thehill.com/policy/international/asia-pacific/490125-north-korea-reckless-remarks-by-pompeo-shows-us-doesnt-want"North Korean officials on Monday said it was "reckless" for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to call on the international community to unify in pressuring Pyongyang on its nuclear and missile programs, adding that his comments illustrate that the U.S. had no sincere desire for negotiations. The North Korean Foreign Ministry’s director general in charge of negotiations with Washington said Pompeo's remarks following a Group of Seven teleconference last week indicate Washington has no plan to avert a “countdown of confrontation,” according to The Associated Press. Pompeo “seriously impaired the signboard of dialogue put up by the U.S. president as a decoy to buy time and create the environment favorable for himself[b/],” Pyongyang said in the statement, referencing a personal letter from President Trump to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un offering help in stemming the coronavirus pandemic, the news service noted."
Meanwhile (and everything is meanwhile at the moment), Pompeo does his part in the bullying of Korea. Pompeo as a "decoy"?
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