In saying he will nominate Mr. Tillerson, the president-elect is dismissing bipartisan concerns the globe-trotting leader of an energy giant has a too-cozy relationship with Vladimir V. Putin, the president of Russia.What was chaotic? That's a word they've been trying to stick on the transition from the beginning. A search in the NYT archive for trump transition chaos got 43 hits!
A statement from Mr. Trump’s transition office early Tuesday brought to an end his public and chaotic deliberations over the nation’s top diplomat — a process that at times veered from rewarding Rudolph W. Giuliani, one of his most loyal supporters, to musing about whether Mitt Romney, one of his most vicious critics, might be forgiven.
The Times forefronts this statement from John McCain:
“Vladimir Putin is a thug, bully and a murderer, and anybody else who describes him as anything else is lying,” Mr. McCain said on Fox News.Is that the language of diplomacy? If Trump had said "Vladimir Putin is a thug, bully and a murderer," he'd have been regarded as a lout who doesn't have any idea how to talk like a President. But here's McCain saying that anyone who doesn't use that kind of crude, brutal language is a "liar." You're a liar if you don't baldly insult the world leaders you're trying to deal with? Yet somehow Trump is portrayed as the off-the-rails hothead and McCain is the wise, elder statesman.
I'm just teasing, saying "somehow." I know how, and you do too. McCain got defeated in his bid for President. If he, a Republican, were running for President or had been elected President, his words would be presented as evidence — part of a swell of evidence — of his unfitness. Safely defeated, McCain is the quotable statesman — quotable because he usefully disparages the Republican who did get elected.
Now, I'm at the end of the article, and I see what I suppose is meant to support the assertion that the search for a secretary of state has been "chaotic." Trump looked first to Rudy Giuliani and then moved to Mitt Romney, and then Kellyanne Conway spoke openly about Trump supporters who opposed Romney. Thereafter:
Mr. Tillerson emerged as a contender on the strong recommendations of James A. Baker III, the secretary of state under President George Bush, and Robert M. Gates, the former defense secretary, according to a person briefed on the process.Jared Kushner and Steve Bannon argued for Tillerson, then Trump met with him for 2+ hours on Saturday and made the decision. Is that "chaotic"? I can't help feeling that if Hillary Clinton were picking a Secretary of State through a process like that it would have been presented as methodical, careful, and beautifully indicative of a brilliantly competent presidency to come.
Posts
165 comments:
" I can't help feeling that if Hillary Clinton were picking a Secretary of State through a process like that it would have been presented as methodical, careful, and beautifully indicative of a brilliantly competent presidency to come."
Of course, that is descriptive of everything Hillary does, no?
Ann, you are so in the tank for Trump.
McCain has a strong sense of personal honor which attaches to completely random things.
Always off the rails and always sure of himself.
Arizona keeps electing him, probably owing to Russian influence.
Well, McCain is no political hero. I prefer republican candidates who are NOT captured by their own vanity, okay?
Hillary Clinton would have picked a lying, incompetent cocksucker like herself. Of that we are sure.
If Hillary ran her transition through tweets you would be scorching her. You would call it chaotic.
This transition seems to be the most transparent I can recall. The elevator cam has exposed a great deal of information about who the powers that be are talking to.
I voted for the man, and I was braced for a really sloppy transition and a solid sloppy four years of an administration.
If Fiorina has won the election, this is the type of transition that I would expect her to run.
I am using lots of words to say that this transition has been impressive to watch.
McCain is like Tootle, except in a china shop instead of a field of daisies.
Negative adjectives only apply to any GOP candidate.
Positive adjectives are for the party the MSM support. Democrats.
Once written, twice shit on the sidewalk...needs to go to a safe space. Try Kos.
“Fidel Castro is a thug, bully and a murderer, and anybody else who describes him as anything else is lying,”
*fixed.*
Once written, twice... said...
If Hillary ran her transition through tweets you would be scorching her. You would call it chaotic.
And if Trump ran his transition through tweets we would be critical of that. But he appears to be running his transition as if he were staffing up a venture that he intended to have succeed.
In addition to that, he is tweeting in order to screw with people who richly deserve screwing with.
My concern with an appointment like this is that with the Secretary as a complete outsider, both to State and government in general, he is likely to be particularly susceptible to being undermined and slowrolled by the career bureaucracy.
Mitt Romney: he couldn't carry his home state, his "favored son" state, his VP's state...
... or the Secretary of State
You're on a roll Althouse.
Darrell said...
Hillary Clinton would have picked a lying, incompetent cocksucker like herself. Of that we are sure.
12/13/16, 8:19 AM
You're such a liar Darrell...
Hillary Clinton has never sucked a cock in her life.
Other than that right on;)
"Jared Kushner and Steve Bannon argued for Tillerson, then Trump met with him for 2+ hours on Saturday and made the decision. Is that "chaotic"? I can't help feeling that if Hillary Clinton were picking a Secretary of State through a process like that it would have been presented as methodical, careful, and beautifully indicative of a brilliantly competent presidency to come." -AA
Of course!
Media bias is the constant reliable story. NYT and Washington Compost deliver dutifully each and every day.
NYT & Washington Compost = Opinion masquerading as "news".
Cocksuckers don't have to be suckers of cock, We've all met a boatload who weren't.
if Hillary Clinton were picking a Secretary of State through a process like that it would have been presented as methodical, careful, and beautifully indicative of a brilliantly competent presidency to come.
Thus the transition to the habit of reading the news skeptically.
See, NYT, no one trusts you anymore!
My sentiments exactly. McCain's language is unbecoming, to say the least. He's certainly the most reckless senator of the last half century. This following a tradition of being a particularly careless and reckless pilot.
An enemy is someone who is actively engaged in a plot to kill you. Such a person is this week's leader of ISIL. I would favor Assad and Putin in their fight against ISIL. In other contexts I would be less supportive of them........I was listening to some of the pundits this morning. It is their opinion that Russia and Syria are using brutal, genocidal tactics in Aleppo and that such tactics are in some way attributable to Trump's friendship with Putin. We can thus clearly see how all these deaths and refugees in the Middle East are the responsibility of Putin's partner, Trump. How nostalgic they are for the days of Obama when peace reigned In the Middle East, and we had cautious, well thought out policies to favor the cause of peace.
My concern with an appointment like this is that with the Secretary as a complete outsider, both to State and government in general, he is likely to be particularly susceptible to being undermined and slowrolled by the career bureaucracy.
So fire every State employee and start over. We don't owe those idiots anything. They've proven to be highly partisan throughout the campaign and were still covering for HRC as late as October. Drain the swamp!
Good one, Meade.
Tillerson seems like a weird pick. Bold pick, but weird. He might not be confirmed, but what would that cost Trump? Does Tillerson's next trip to Davos matter much to Trump?
I don't see that many of the other big names (Romney, Giuliani, Fiorina, etc.) have much more to show as potential SoS's. Bolton at least jawboned the UN for a while.
Tillerson has the support of Bob Gates and Condi Rice. Them's some big names with real credentials.
the president-elect is dismissing bipartisan concerns
I sense there will be much concerns-dismissing over the next few years. Prompting concerners to ramp up their concerns to historic levels.
Ann has become a go-to site for commentary on the new Trump administration as portrayed in the media. A good thing she is retiring because she's going to have her hands full 'having the time of her life,' or at least one of them. Hope she does more Bloggngheads too.
Ann, a private citizen is "in the tank for Trump" the man who will be the United States president the next 4 years. Heaven help us.....
Meade at 8:19.
You nailed it. Every day McCain makes Althouse's vote for Obama in 2008 look better. It was a lousy choice that year.
Ann, you are so in the tank for Trump.
She wants a better left, one which makes some effort to meet a reasonable standard of governance and basic decency. One that presents arguments instead propaganda. These goals are so foreign to most left wingers they are instinctively rejected as anti-left.
I'd say that's pretty revealing about the nature of the left.
A disgracefully sick choice...
Per April Apple: Media bias is the constant reliable story. NYT and Washington Compost deliver dutifully each and every day.
Yes. I could write their copy myself. So utterly predicable.
The reaction of the media, the Left, and the butthurt Right to Trump's victory validates every single voter who voted for Trump. They have shown themselves to be haters of the rubes from the hinterlands of which I proudly am one. Every single word out of David Brooks' word processor is a small turd laid by a worm. Every emission from Jennifer Rubin's hideous face is a noxious gas. Every syllable uttered by the conjoined evil twins McCain/Graham is an anal bloodletting. Every gesture from Barack Obama is a shapeshifting contradiction to his pretend goal for a smooth transition.
They are vile, populace-hating, swamp-infesting sub-humans all. Drain 'em out of existence, O President Trump.
I think it's really interesting to have a SoS who has had to interact with all the leaders of the world's hot spots.
Someone tell me why that is a bad idea. Or at least....tell me why a choice like John Kerry is a better choice.
he (Trump) appears to be running his transition as if he were staffing up a venture that he intended to have succeed.
Exactly. Instead of giving out positions in the government, offices, ambassadorships as party favors to contributors, as rewards or as bribes......Trump is staffing his administration as a smart business man would. Considering carefully the function of each office and choosing persons who have the skills, resume and compatibility to successfully carry out the mission of the organization.
A Hillary administration would be staffed with cronies, donors who have no experience, favorites, and unskilled incompetents.
The President is the CEO of the company who sets the tone, the mission statement and who oversees the functioning of the company. He is the captain steering the ship. The rest of the staff are his representatives and are specialized in their own departments.
I see not chaos, but a very orderly and thoughtful process.
I cannot believe how unhinged people have gotten.
I've pulled away from the news. I'd rather fit into the realm of the uninformed that to hear the "news" that news outlets want me to hear these days.
sunsong- why a sick choice?
You ain't heard nothin' yet!
With Tillersonand Bolton filling the two top jobs at the State Dept., I expect they already have a long list of State Dept. career employees whose resignations may be more or less tactfully requested come 21st of January!
Tillerson made over $24 Million in "total compensation" in 2015. As Sec'y of State he'll make $186,000.
He's got such a great gig now, pretty much master of his own universe, head of a hugely successful company. I wonder about his sanity, frankly, who the eff would want to give up such a great life to become Secretary of freakin' State, a completely thankless job IMO.
Maybe he's a patriot?
As the end of the Obama Era approaches, the ISIL guys are setting up New Years Eve slaughters in America, the MSM are carefully preparing the impeaching of the Blonde Monster, The Russians are laughing their ass off, and Podesta is Spirit Cooking as fast as possible.
These are interesting times.
The CIA's primary mission under Obama is to mitigate the effects of Global Warming. No wonder they can't answer the phone.
William at 8:46 My concern with an appointment like this is that with the Secretary as a complete outsider, both to State and government in general, he is likely to be particularly susceptible to being undermined and slowrolled by the career bureaucracy.
True. This is why Trump is masterful, again, in appointing Bolton as the second in command at the State Dept. Bolton knows where the pitfalls are. He know who the snakes are and where in the swamp they are hiding. Tillerman is the SoS and will be making the appearances, negotiating, doing the diplomat thing. Bolton will be the pit bull back at the swamp of the Dept of the SoS.
The right persons for the right jobs.
In the minds of most liberals, selecting the big bad oil executive for SoS is akin to selecting Satan to teach a Sunday School class. It probably seems absurd to many conservatives but in Progressive Theology, the CEO of an oil company is probably about as pure evil as it gets, exploiting and polluting mother Earth for vast profit.
Next I hope Trump selects Wayne LaPierre to head up the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms.
Any name with an "x" in it tends to have interesting anagrams: Rex W Tillerson.
NPR had a Republican on the air this morning. Naturally, it was McCain saying things that NPR listeners wanted to hear and NPR was more than happy to check the "bipartisan" box in its "reporting" this morning.
What was chaotic?
Carlos Slim's blog.
Obama had several private sector guys come in and save him when his career politicians made a mess of things.
Jeffrey Zeints for the Obamacare website, Robert McDonald for the VA, Rattner for the auto companies.
I mean, whenever things got bad, Obama recruited a businessman.
He used Google guys, right? So did Hillary.
Mr. Tillerson emerged as a contender on the strong recommendations of James A. Baker III, the secretary of state under President George Bush, and Robert M. Gates, the former defense secretary
It's interesting that this is the first I've heard that two such old-guard Republicans as Baker & Gates were supportive of Tillerson. The media was more interested in portraying this pick as completely out of left (well, right in this case) field.
We can listen to McCain if you like, but he wants military intervention in every thing.
Young Hegelian - Condoleeza Rice called Trump on his behalf, too.
NPR is chewing gum for humanities professors.
Fortunately, Althouse listens to Rush.
Tillerson is no less qualified for the post than any of the other named candidates. None of them had foreign policy experience.
Neither did Kerry or Hillary, the last two Secretaries of State. So what matters is who they'll have working below them to advise them.
And of course the SoS these days basically carries out the president's directives, rather than making foreign policy themselves. So the top job qualification is "stand there looking neatly dressed" and "can follow orders."
And if you want to concern yourself with who the president has advising him, don't look at cabinet officers, look at their advisers instead. Did anyone wonder "gee I hope William Rogers doesn't let down Nixon"?
It is no longer about politics as usual. It is to be about deal making.
The selection of Tillerson is an inspired and creative choice. It is emblematic of more to come i.e. innovative negotiating and winning.
Forget feckless leading from behind and appeasement. We are about to see a new technique of executing international relationships... the art of the deal.
Tillerson is a master of this skill.
His appointment is perfect and bodes well for a transformational SOS.
Bravo to Trump.
There is real hope now not just a tired and disproven Obama campaign slogan.
P.S. Condi Rice has been credited for the initial recommendation of T Rex supported and endorsed three days later by Robert Gates.
Should have elevated one of the career diplomats left over from the Benghazi days.
It seems like only yesterday actual Presidential candidates who had been bought and sold by "friends" of the Soviet Union were okey-dokey by the dems.
Good times, good times.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/larrybell/2013/05/21/the-greening-of-gores-bank-account/#5d9698d3504f
Senate Democrats representing red and purple states in the end will fall in line for the confirmation of Rex. They don't want a "Thank You Tour" coming to their states on a weekly basis.
It's a good thing John Podesta is "concerned" about folks ties to Russia.....LOL
http://www.wsj.com/articles/john-podesta-and-the-russians-1477262565
Please, lets hear more from the lefties who just discovered that perhaps when the 1980's calls and asks for it's foreign policy back, maybe we should say "no" and keep it.
Quick note: remember how smug the dems/left were in attacking Romney for saying the Russians are our biggest geopolitical opponent? The least the lefties here could do is apologize for their previous stupidity even as they double down on their latest stupidity.
Hagar said...
...I expect they already have a long list of State Dept. career employees whose resignations may be more or less tactfully requested come 21st of January!
Career civil service employees have significant bureaucratic protections. Trump's first cabinet meeting should include a presentation from a federal employment lawyer on the steps needed to fire a civil servant for cause. I suspect it starts with issuing them assignments, in writing, that they sign, telling them what they are to do, and how and when the results will be measured.
Make them shit-sandwich assignments: assign people who favor amnesty the task of getting people deported, assign people who complain about voter suppression the task of rooting out voter fraud, etc.
If they don't perform, start the termination process. All of this will take years to complete, so it needs to start on day one.
Things that I couldn't make up; and upon which The Onion couldn't improve...
Kanye West meets the President-elect at Trump Tower:
http://www.tmz.com/2016/12/13/kanye-meeting-donald-trump/
Truly; you can't make this stuff up. As reported on the website of the nation's leading news source, TMZ.
I am using lots of words to say that this transition has been impressive to watch.
A lot more transparent for one thing. It appears that Obama, himself, really picked very few of his cabinet members. Jarrett was involved, as were the people who put Obama in the White House. No doubt, Crooked Hillary had already pre-sold a lot of the key positions in her Administration in trade for clear sailing for the nomination. Trump is putting in people who will make a difference - e.g. leader of the voucher program in Education, OK AG at EPA, etc. A lot of house cleaning seems likely.
So, what does this nomination say about Trump's view of the State Dept? That it is a fiefdom, filled with lefty internationalists who have, for much of the last century, been more for the New World Order (whatever the latest version of it is), than for the U.S. What is important to Trump is Making America Great Again, and that doesn't happen if the State Dept. continually sabotages him. Part of it is putting American interests before those of the New World Order. That means doing diplomacy from a position of strength, both economically and militarily. I see part of the reason for his nomination is that he has shown himself good at doing trade deals around the world, and that Trump sees that as part of the Sec. of State's job.
I'm curious to see the confirmation hearings. Either he will suck, in which case Trump should find someone else, or he'll rock it and I'll enjoy seeing someone hand the Dems and McLame their respective heads.
If Tillerson imposes XOM (ExxonMobil) expense account standards on the State Department, Foggy Bottom will freak out. Anybody who works with XOM people know how tight they are on expense controls.
So XOM, an oil company, made deals with Russia, an oil producer. In the light of day of a publicly traded company. This is shocking? Compared to a major donation to the Clinton family foundation that, amazingly, coincided with a State Department effort to leverage the OK for a Russian company to control a significant part of the US uranium business.
Two-cluck Chuck. Explained.
Is Tillerson a Republican? I'm just curious. I suspect so but am not sure.
Kanye West meets the President-elect at Trump Tower:
Is only Obama allowed to have celebrity visitors?
Tell again about the Left's objections.
The career civil servants at State won't know what hit them when T Rex takes the corner office.
There will be no question who is in charge and what the mission will be.
Wow, what a change from the current big government bureaucracy business as usual.
Exciting and interesting times.
Kanye could be talking about performing at his inauguration. Could be discussing mental health issues.
Could be trying to fill the void Beyonce and Jay-Z will leave behind when Obama is out of office.
“Vladimir Putin is a thug, bully and a murderer, and anybody else who describes him as anything else is lying,”
Not true. Ace described Putin as a loathsome pan squeezer and here's the proof:
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01962/p2_1962443c.jpg
Yes, Tillerson is a long time Republican but did not contribute to Trump.
He supported Jeb in the primaries and G.W. Bush and Mitt in the past.
His contributions to the GOP are in excess of $440,000.
McCain is a leader in neo-McCarthyism. Making Putin evil, and labeling any person who doesn't believe in war with Russia a sympathizer.
MayBee said...
Kanye West meets the President-elect at Trump Tower:
Is only Obama allowed to have celebrity visitors?
Oh, I'd expect that Obama WOULD meet Kanye. And that it would be part of a focus-group-tested messaging cycle, in which Democrat donors would be invited to "share" in the Obama/Kanye meeting. With a special photo-op segment, in which Obama would smile sheepishly and say something vaguely self-effacing and hip in an exacting and calculating way, that a team of six Obama speechwriters (all of whom have six-figure job offers in Hollywood) had worked on for a couple of days.
And with Trump, I expect that Trump simply said, "Kanye? Yeah, I want to meet Kanye! I've seen him on tv, and I know what sort of a draw he is."
And Steve Bannon said, "Yes; I approve the Kanye meeting. Let's schedule it for two hours after the Rex Tillorson/State announcement. All those voters who don't know how many U.S. Senators there are, and who could never tell you the first thing about Articles I, II and III of the Constitution will ALL know Kanye, and that is all that they will care about on Tuesday. Now, what do we have lined up for Wednesday?"
"Vlad, is that a swell of evidence in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me?"
"Tillerson," not Tillorson. Sorry.
Hillary Clinton would have picked a lying, incompetent cocksucker like herself.
At the risk of being mean, if she was one, Bill may have strayed less...
@Darrell, I have to agree with the Bad LT -- if Hillary Clinton had been willing to give her husband a little oral stimulation now and again he wouldn't have had to get it from Monica Lewinsky and numerous other young women of dubious sense.
in general, he is likely to be particularly susceptible to being undermined and slowrolled by the career bureaucracy.
I'm not so sure and I see two good suggestions for this problem.
1. Bolton
2. assign people who favor amnesty the task of getting people deported, assign people who complain about voter suppression the task of rooting out voter fraud, etc.
One problem in both Iraq and Afghanistan was the failure of State to staff positions that require State experience and connections.
Last month, the press jumped on a cable U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker sent to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. In the cable, reported in The Washington Post, Crocker bluntly told Rice the embassy lacked qualified staff, or simply enough staff at all. The State Department's own personnel specialist, the Post noted, had suggested doubling the number of personnel in the Baghdad embassy who focused on political and economic analysis. "Simply put, we cannot do the nation's most important work if we do not have the Department's best people," Crocker said in the cable.
They don't like to leave DC. The few conservatives did so out of patriotism and interest in their careers.
Send them to places they don't like and let them resign.
I am also very impressed with Trump's ability to get top flight businessmen to leave lucrative careers and take government positions.
They know they will get trashed by the NY Times and WaPo.
As to McCain, every once in a while he makes me sorry his parachute worked back in October 1967. I admire his personal courage in the face of North Vietnamese torture, but it would be good if he would make sure his brain was working before he speaks to reporters.
I suppose it is only chaotic if you include the frog leg soup with Romney, and the ever dangling Rudi, but not to worry as Steve Coll, who wrote a book about Tillerson points out: In nominating Tillerson, Trump is handing the State Department to a man who has worked his whole life running a parallel quasi-state, for the benefit of shareholders, fashioning relationships with foreign leaders that may or may not conform to the interests of the United States government.
So many Trump followers keep hoping that the weight of the office will turn him and his billionaire Goldman Sachs run cabinet into a shinning star of change for the people--ain't going to happen is my prediction.
How to get career bureaucrats to resign: Make them shit-sandwich assignments: assign people who favor amnesty the task of getting people deported, assign people who complain about voter suppression the task of rooting out voter fraud, etc.
I like the idea of decentralizing the departments. Send those career assholes out to branch offices in Fresno, California. Moosejaw, Montana. NoNeck, Arkansas. Stick them in a backwater office surrounded by the deplorables, irredeemables sand give them busy work.
Keeps them out of the way so real work can get done. With the plus factor of annoying them by making them live in fly over country. Yay!
The difference between news and propaganda is a matter of adjectives.
A hummer and that Joker's smile on Hillary don't go together. ERs use that to treat Viagra 6-hour erections. You can ask Michael K.
And as to Tillerson, if the it is true that Gates and Baker suggested him, well, those are pretty savvy people when it comes to foreign affairs. Certainly Tillerson has to be an improvement over the most recent two Secretaries of State.
If the Senate rejects Rex, then Trump will nominate Romney. Putin will be a bit confounded but Trump will have a lot of flexibility with Putin for having nominated Rex.
"damikesc said...
Hillary Clinton would have picked a lying, incompetent cocksucker like herself.
At the risk of being mean, if she was one, Bill may have strayed less..."
Why would Hillary's incompetence as a cocksucker keep Bill from straying?
Watching prog heads explode over "OIL!" - worth the price of admission.
Sally327 said...
Tillerson made over $24 Million in "total compensation" in 2015. As Sec'y of State he'll make $186,000.
He's got such a great gig now, pretty much master of his own universe, head of a hugely successful company. I wonder about his sanity, frankly, who the eff would want to give up such a great life to become Secretary of freakin' State, a completely thankless job IMO.
Maybe he's a patriot?
Amen, Sally. But the media, bureaucrats and partisans will try to cure him of that. Conversion Therapy.
RV: "So many Trump followers keep hoping that the weight of the office will turn him and his billionaire Goldman Sachs run cabinet into a shinning star of change for the people--ain't going to happen is my prediction."
And if it doesnt happen then you are well within your rights to gloat and say "I told you so".
You should, however, actually wait and see what happens before you label it all a failure, which as a clear #NeverTrumper (which makes you an operational Hillary "supporter) I realize is a big request.
Tillerson is 64 and was facing mandatory retirement at 65.
He is a man of high net worth and can afford to leave the corporate world and serve his country and he will serve his country exceedingly well.
A patriot and a extraordinary executive, he is going to not suffer fools at State.
This Trump cabinet is destined to be distinguished.
The contrast to the prior administration will prove to be embarrassing for Obama.
The difference between news and propaganda is a matter of adjectives.
And the use of deliberately ambiguous statements such as 'many have concerns', 'critics have condemned', 'issues have been raised' and 'research suggests' just to name a few. Do people ever really analyze what is being reported and how?
But in any event, whether Trump is successful or not, as long as he meets my minimal standard of "success" (which is give us a conservative or 2 more on the Supreme Court and gut Obamacare) everything else is gravy.
Kanye West meets the President-elect at Trump Tower:
Kanye was there to make a pitch for his wife, to be a part of the Trump administration in the newly created position of Assistant Undersecretary in Charge of National Buttockal Improvement.
Their motto: "By Example We Lead."
"Safely defeated, McCain is the quotable statesman — quotable because he usefully disparages the Republican who did get elected." Right. I can't believe retired Althouse sounds so straightforward, so liberated, no longer cruelly neutral or faux-surprised, I say faux-surprisedly.
Ann, I think the word in world Clinton would have been "deliberative".
This is a joke, right? First Tillerson and then Rick Perry? What is this, hire the mentally handicapped? I am buoyed by the fact that Tillerson will never be confirmed. The senate panel will have to suppress their giggles and say a resounding, NO!!!
Vicki from Pasadena
Althouse puts cruel neutrality aside when anyone attempts something as obvious and despicable as this Russian hack/fake news meme.
"I am also very impressed with Trump's ability to get top flight businessmen to leave lucrative careers and take government positions." Correct. The Tillerson/Bolton good cop/bad cop combo is inspired. Cabinet of business and military heavy hitters, plus Sessions and Price, looking good so far. VP choice was an upgrade to begin with. Contrast with O is striking. No GOPer would or could have done better. Howls of outrage and chaos mongering are due to the left realizing, ever so slowly, what they are up against.
YoungHegelian said...
Their motto: "By Example We Lead."
Would that be a case of leading from behind?
Vicki from Pasadena doubling down on stupidity. We saw your previous predictions, you know.
Blogger victoria said...
This is a joke, right? First Tillerson and then Rick Perry? What is this, hire the mentally handicapped? I am buoyed by the fact that Tillerson will never be confirmed. The senate panel will have to suppress their giggles and say a resounding, NO!!!
Vicki from Pasadena
You are so, so right! They won't even make it that far. No way!
Also, Jill is looking for some more donations. Please give, Vicky. Jill needs your help to stop Trump. Give big.
I suspect that, considering that Giuliani is a consummate sociopath, that he is ill. Maybe even dying.
Vicki from pasadena
Now Vicki from Pasadena is tripling down on stupidity. Can it ever end?
victoria wrote: I suspect that, considering that Giuliani is a consummate sociopath...
Let's read your evidence of Giuliani's consummate (one wonders if you know the definition of the word) sociopathy.
The One and Only Texas Wind Boom
Wind power has transformed the heart of fossil-fuel country. Can the rest of the United States follow suit?
CREZ (Competetive Renewable Energy Zone) was built under Rick Perry, the small-government Republican governor who ran the state from 2000 to 2015. It’s clear now, says Jeff Clark of the Wind Coalition, that CREZ “should be recognized as one of the most visionary infrastructure projects ever built in Texas.”
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/602468/the-one-and-only-texas-wind-boom/
While dipshits like Joe Kennedy were flapping their gums, Perry became the driving force for largest wind farms in the world. Not bad for a dumb Aggie.
Trump needs to make up a new cabinet position for Kanye. How about Secretary of Dope Ass Shit?
"What is this, hire the mentally handicapped?"
It's either differently-abled or retarded. Please spare us the hardly concealed bigotry of mushy middle-speak.
I can't help feeling that if Hillary Clinton were picking a Secretary of State through a process like that it would have been presented as methodical, careful, and beautifully indicative of a brilliantly competent presidency to come.
Well sure, if Hillary manages to have a bowel movement on her own it is poetic, methodical, careful, and above all beautifully indicative of a brilliantly competent person worthy of the highest office in the land!
Well there's a cogent observation hiding in there. McCain is a lout who doesn't know how to talk like a President--a judgement in which a substantial plurality of the country joined in 2008. Ol Maverick McCain, [as I recall he was the anchor clanker in his class at the Naval Academy] is a weak copy of his illustrious father and truly distinguished grandfather. The father went low (he was a submariner) and the grandfather went high (he was a carrier admiral in WW II) but this McCain simply went off the rails. Time for him to retire--he won't be missed all that much. He's better than Harry Reid, but that's a pretty low bar.
The man's bio is pretty interesting.
He's clearly a pragmatist.
Darrell: "Now Vicki from Pasadena is tripling down on stupidity. Can it ever end?"
I think not. Not well at any rate.
"Now, I'm at the end of the article, and I see what I suppose is meant to support the assertion that the search for a secretary of state has been "chaotic."
-- It is like these people were never how to write The News.
Ten minutes and no evidence forthcoming from Vicky. One would consummate sociopathy should be easy to demonstrate.
victoria: "This is a joke, right? First Tillerson and then Rick Perry?"
Not enough communists/Maoists, eh?
Well, you'll just have to get used to that.
Quaestor: "Ten minutes and no evidence forthcoming from Vicky. One would consummate sociopathy should be easy to demonstrate."
I believe Vicky has amply demonstrated said affliction.
Nonapod said...
Next I hope Trump selects Wayne LaPierre to head up the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms.
12/13/16, 9:07 AM
That is Fing inspired! THAT right there is what I want for Christmas! The EPA would have their work cut out for them cleaning up after all of the leftist heads exploded!
Drago said...
But in any event, whether Trump is successful or not, as long as he meets my minimal standard of "success" (which is give us a conservative or 2 more on the Supreme Court and gut Obamacare) everything else is gravy.
I hope and expect that it will bother you to no end, when I say, "I agree."
Harry Reid: The Trump Campaign ‘Was In On’ Russia’s Election Hacking
LOL
And GW Bush conspired to make 9-11 happen!!
And HW Bush conspired with the Iranians to hold the American hostages longer!!
And Mitt Romney didn't pay taxes for 10 years ("well, it worked didn't it?")
And the Bush family financed the Nazi's!!
And the CIA brought drugs into the inner cities!!
The US used Nerve Gas in Vietnam!! (See; "Tailwind")
Neo-Cons! Alt-Right! "dog whistles"! Venezuela/Cuba/NKorea et al are failing because of the US!
It seems like Trump is staffing his agencies with managers/leaders, less so than subject matter experts. Which is either a step toward or away from a technocracy, mattering how you think about it.
Chuck: "I hope and expect that it will bother you to no end, when I say, "I agree.""
Hmmmmmmm, you might be on to something there.
You could alleviate some of my concern by simply spending a moderate amount of time taking some dems to task at the detailed/substantive level. Such criticism from you towards them of that type has been sorely lacking, even as you find time to worry about and expound ad nauseum on meaningless subjects similar to Trump/Kanye.
Matthew Sablan: "It seems like Trump is staffing his agencies with managers/leaders, less so than subject matter experts. Which is either a step toward or away from a technocracy, mattering how you think about it."
I could quibble a bit here when I note that Tillerson has had deep involvement in over 100 countries around the world involving both government, business and security professionals.
I would ask that you take a moment to ponder the extent to which an ExxonMobil must factor in all geopolitical/military/economic risks (known and known-unknowns) as they develop their strategies moving forward.
I would be interested to know what the payroll looks like for ExxonMobil's security and risk assessment teams. It probably rivals and includes former members of our security agencies.
That's true; that knowledge that he brings is different from a career diplomat/politician though. I think I'm going to stick with a wait and see approach, either way.
BTW, here's the current headline lineup on CNBC:
- After talking with Trump, Bill Gates says president-elect could be like JFK
- Mark Cuban, who repeatedly dissed Trump as unfit, now says he's 'our number one draft pick'
- Op-Ed: Why Trump's cabinet picks are so galling to Democrats, and why he doesn't care
- Merrill Lynch analyst got standing ovation from 300 of his co-workers the morning after the election
- Chart shows exactly how Trump's tax plan could affect you
- Op-Ed: Trump’s Air Force One tweet was a brilliant move
- McCain backs Trump criticism of F-35, says president can't cancel it
Yeah, this Trump thing really is a failure already, so says some no-name chick from Pasadena.
Drago said...
...
You could alleviate some of my concern by simply spending a moderate amount of time taking some dems to task at the detailed/substantive level.
I suspect that "Donald Trump" doesn't count with you as a Democrat, to be taken to task in fulfillment of your request.
Ahhh, Senator McCain (and his mini-me Lidsey).... How the pendulum does swing.
Beloved by the left, pre-2008, for being a Republican "Maverick". In other words a big name Republican prone to criticizing his own party.
In 2008 he obtains the Republican nomination for president. Suddenly that independent thinking Senator became a Nazi, blood sucker.
Fast forward to 2016. A Republican is President-elect. McCain returns from his eight years in the wilderness. All is forgiven. The press loves them some McCain.
Heh! Trump said he would "drain the swamp." Looks like he misunderstands the meaning of the words he spoke. He's just adding more crocodiles to the swamp.
"'Hillary Clinton would have picked a lying, incompetent cocksucker like herself.'
"At the risk of being mean, if she was one, Bill may have strayed less...."
Yes. Look at Ronnie and Nancy Reagan. Frank Sinatra always said Nancy gave the best head in Hollywood.
Competent, successful businessmen are not the swamp. Political hacks and rent seekers are.
It will be very hard to drain the diplomatic core.
There's an article out there from the W era. He tried.
Their rules and procedures for hiring/firing are insane, and it's not up to the SOS, IIRC.
Maybe if a light was shined on that dept?
Cookie, Frank never met you.
" Frank Sinatra always said Nancy gave the best head in Hollywood."
I assume he said this while complaining about your weak sucking.
Putin is a very bad guy.
The FSB is not the successor to the KGB, it is the KGB. It is not unreasonable to believe that the CP USSR was the political wing of the KGB, or at least the KGB thought so.
In the KGB, Putin was stationed in the GDR. His job was to mind the Stasi, and look after the KGB bankers who controlled the Soviet's overseas investments. After the fall of the USSR, there was a critical period when the KGB had complete control of those funds. A lot of KGB guys used the money to set up their own banks in Europe. Putin was supposed to be the guy between the KGB bankers and the Russian mafia, who knew how to launder money.
One of the ways Putin made money was selling export licenses. Russia had two prices for oil, a low price for internal sales, a high price for external sales. So if you could buy a million barrels of oil at the internal price, and get a license to sell the oil at the export price, you could make a lot of bucks by signing a few contracts. Medvedev has always played the role of Putin's consigliore.
Putin is famous for having people who investigate him for corruption arrested themselves for corruption. In prison these people are attacked and abused by other prisoners working for the FSB. The accused may find his family members arrested for trying to smuggle contraband into the prison.
The West (America and the EU) have put the hurt on Putin and his pals. Basically, our sanctions have cost them money, and put them at risk of arrest if they travel outside Russia. If Putin ever steps down, he will not be able to travel outside of Russia easily.
Hey, given all the ahistoric knowledge that Cookie exhibits here on a regular basis, it is clear that he swallows everything.
Give him credit for that.
Well, unlike Clinton and Kerry, Tillerson did not vote to invade Iraq and steal its oil for Israel. So the Lefties have that.
Seeing Red: It will be very hard to drain the diplomatic core... Their rules and procedures for hiring/firing are insane, and it's not up to the SOS, IIRC.
So what? Obama proved that going around "insane" rules is how things get done now. Given the level of corruption visited upon the department by HRC one could say it's a "national security matter" to fire anyone who ever interfaced with HRC, on the grounds the leaky secret server has tainted the whole bureaucracy.
"On the assumption that more staffers would assert the 5th amendment privilege if asked to testify, we are moving to drain the Foggy Bottom first and restock it with 'clean' employees in 2017 once the corruption and disorder are removed from the bureau."
i'm guessing saint ronnie is rolling over in his grave... seems the ruskies have made a comeback and are now ahead in cold war... don't you think it's interesting why we are tilting so much to russia?... putin is staging the greatest comeback in the last 100 years... almost like if hitler had survived WW2 and brought germany back to a lead role in the world... i would say wake up people but you guys seem so fixated on how bad hilary might have been and how distorted the NYT is... smell the coffee !
Althouse's jillbilly leftists have the sadz. Nobody is buying their fake news. Russia! Russia! Is the mic on? Can you hear me NOW?
I like this pick for SoS. Although he had also been an academic and a member of prior cabinets, George Shultz became Reagan's SoS directly from Bechtel, where he had been a senior VP. I think there were a lot of concerns in his Senate hearings about his business dealings and contacts as Bechtel is as global as Exxon, maybe more so. However, he stood his ground as I recall and was confirmed. I think he was the best SoS of my lifetime. Execs of major, global companies like Tillerson and Shultz often have contacts and knowledge of the world that many SoS employees sitting in Washington don't have. They can be very effective. I note than James Baker, Robert Gates, Condi Rice, and Dick Cheney gave very positive recommendations to Trump.
Also like the idea of John Bolton as deputy, he probably knows more about the organization that anyone he could have picked. Like Michael K and others pointed out, experienced bureaucrats know how to deal with problem employees. And there are some awfully bad jobs in some awfully bad locations where people can be assigned - or resign.
i take it darrell you have information that contradicts the worlds intelligence agencies and we really have nothing to fear from trump's putin friendship?... i think most of the folks in our intelligence community may want to seek you out to be reassured that this is all a 'false flag' or fake news... not that interfering in elections is any thing new to the cia.. they've been doing it since day 1...
Why would Hillary's incompetence as a cocksucker keep Bill from straying?
The worst BJ ever...is still not bad.
This Trump cabinet is destined to be distinguished.
The contrast to the prior administration will prove to be embarrassing for Obama.
Yeah, Obama didn't populate his administration with heavy hitters. His Sec of States have both been awful. His Sec of Defense has been good (both keeping Gates and picking Carter was his best choice). His administration seems designed solely to not outshine him on anything. So, it is less than surprising that so many things sucked so badly.
Frank Sinatra always said Nancy gave the best head in Hollywood.
He'd know better than most. Ronnie must have knew what he wanted in a wife and achieved it quite well.
Maybe a gay man would give a better blow job than a woman. Just sayin'.
Trump never met Putin. He was supposed to when The Miss Universe pageant was held there, but Trump's plane was delayed. He met one of his daughters instead. Do a Google search for Russian connection to DNC hack and look for date stamps around that time. Choose computer magazines that interviewed private computer security experts that were brought in to consult. Experts that said the hack wasn't from Russia based on their proprietary database of hacks. Recent entries have no value because they are part of the Democrats' disinformation campaign.
The KGB was split into the SVR (like our CIA) and the FSB (like our FBI's counterintelligence group).
The Russians who recruit spies in other countries, such as the US, are agents for the SVR. The Russians who follow our CIA intelligence officers stationed in Russia and root out the Russian spies helping our intelligence officers are FSB.
Mock, maybe...but stubble would be real world for straight dudes down there.
Conway tweeting against Romney in order to get to Trump seems like the definition of chaotic to me.
Since when did the word "officially" come to mean "unofficially"? You know, what with Trump not being president yet and all.
There has been nothing chaotic about Trump's process. He interviewed and considered lots of candidates, which is appropriate for important positions. Obama had others pick his cabinet then met them. Trump is a leader, and wants to make sure he has people in place he doesn't need to micromanage. Tillerson was chosen because he can negotiate with powerful people in a respectful manner while keep the interests of the US as his primary concern. Hillary negotiated with an eye to what she could squeeze out for the CF, and what looked good politically. Kerry is just a full of himself doofus.
I love Newt's reputed observation about Republican unity: "Republicans are like deer. If they hear a loud noise, they scatter."
McCain begins to run before the noise gets loud.
Blogger readering said...
"Conway tweeting against Romney in order to get to Trump seems like the definition of chaotic to me."
Because Conway is widely known as a rogue operative? Lol.
Darrell! You forgot the mic drop!
GWash said...
i'm guessing saint ronnie is rolling over in his grave... seems the ruskies have made a comeback and are now ahead in cold war... don't you think
Obama has something to do with that? You're right! That's the first intelligent thing you've said on this blog! Congratulations!
Despite Clinton's reset, the cold war is still over. The Russians are doing the hard work of stopping the hemorrhaging from Obama and Clinton's progressive wars and ending immigration "reform". They're would probably welcome a change in America's belligerent foreign policy and an honest broker who will help repeal Obama's legacy in Africa, Middle East, Asia, and Europe. Trump's election portends the end of the Clinton WaterCloset and DNC's native antagonism.
You will have to excuse 'victoria from Pasadena'. She has been severely Californicated.
Your last sentence nailed it.
Didn't Cat Stevens have a song by that name? T for the Tillerson?
MountainMan, I second your comments on the example George Shultz set (note the weird spelling-- that's the way he spells it). Shultz was the best SoS of the last fifty years. Priebus has been saying it's normal for powerful people to have powerful friends, and he's right about that.
I don't know much about Tillerson, but I've seen nothing to indicate that he would be a crappy SoS (like Kerry and Hillary), and I've seen some things that indicate he might be pretty good.
I rather thought Kissinger was the best SoS in my lifetime, though people liked to say, "Kissinger my assinger". I have a faux Playgirl centerfold of him [his head on someone else's--I assume!--body, although it is paunchy, hairy and realistic-looking]. Quite funny! Probably a collector's item.
I can't help feeling that if Hillary Clinton were picking a Secretary of State through a process like that it would have been presented
O my God. They hate him. Deal.
The lefties amy try to pretend they are happy at Trump errors but, as the evidence accumulates that he is on a roll, they will shut up.
Now, Bill Gates says he is like JFK. I just hope that does not include assassination as there are a lot of lefty crazies out there and the DNC is egging them on like Sarah Palin DID NOT do to the crazy in Tucson.
If something happens, the lefties should be prosecuted for sedition or advocating overthrow.
Has anybody polled Hillary's approval numbers lately ? Just asking.
Darrell: "Now Vicki from Pasadena is tripling down on stupidity. Can it ever end?"
God, I hope not. Entertaining as hell. You can just see the little vein in her forehead pulsing while her eye twitches.
F said...
Didn't Cat Stevens have a song by that name? T for the Tillerson?
Nope. No Tillerson.
Oh Give me a T for Texas, give me a T for Tennessee
Give me a T for Thelma, woman made a fool out of me
Give me a T for Texas, give me that T for Tennessee
Give me a T for Thelma, woman made a fool out of me
And it was jimmy Rogers, "The Singing Brakeman", not Cat Stevens. I'm not sure how you could confuse those two.
Perhaps McCain should be concentrating on breaking the kneecaps of Republican congresspeople who are now hedging on dumping Obamacare.
Does Tillerson have broaches?
I hear those are powerful tools of diplomacy.
Post a Comment