I think he was a terrible Secretary of State. Career professionals are exiting in droves. These people are expert in their fields. That knowledge cannot be easily replaced even after this know nothing, burn down the house regime ends. He let Mick Mulvaney dictate a scorched earth budget since walls, big buttons, and military parades are so much more important to Dear Leader.
You have unqualified people serving as ambassadors with the qualified staffers that were in place exiled since they weren't swilling the Kool Aid. I fully accept that the Ambassador role is a political appointee, but usually they are bright and confident enough to leave experienced professionals in place due to their expertise. Look no further than Canada where the coal mining magnate's wife was appointed. Canada has now been on the receiving end of a deliberate Trump whopper. What will the response be when they ask about that? Maybe just cue Steve Mnuchin to reprise his role defending Trump as "saying funny things." Note to Steve--we are not laughing.
I really wish Tillerson had defended the mission and people of the Department of State fiercely. I think he was certainly up to it intellectually. I am at a loss to explain his abysmal performance. That said, I admire him deeply for his repeated refusal to walk back the moron comment. He not only said it but he knew the truth of that statement and never budged. For that, I am grateful.
6
I saw on 60 Minutes where Mr. Tillerson is a devoted Boy Scout. So his handbook informs him--among other virtuous behaviors--not to tell lies. Mr. Trump, on the other hand, is a member of the Bizarro Boy Scouts. They have no handbook; they lie like Russian diplomats; (they don't even care about being prepared)... I guess the two guys were at odds.
4
Yes Roger, that’s saying something....frightening.
1
This column should have ended with the third paragraph. Only a fool would not know what Trump is really like. Ask anyone in Manhattan. Any reason to deliberately work in this administration is a bad reason. Everyone in Trumps orbit is soiled by proximity.
6
Tillerson is an honourable man. He took the post to contribute his savvy for the good of America. No one comes into posts like Sec. of State experienced, except of course, a crooked Clinton He tolerated a lot from a lunatic president. Thank you Tillerson for your quiet dignity and hard work.
2
Sorry. No praise here. How a former leader of the Boy Scouts could remain with the administration after that vile speech to children shows zero character.
3
Okay. The wicked step-President asked his magic mirror, “Who’s the fairest of them all?” The mirror said “Rex”. And it was downhill from there. The next time the wicked step-President asks, the answer will still not be “you”.
1
We appear to be following the same idiotic practices that doomed our "victory" in Iraq: assume that if you can whip some other country/group/tong's military, everything will work out all right. Have not learned the lessons of Iraq and now we find ourselves with military missions in all those "s..." countries Trump derided. The death spiral started with Cheney/Feith etc and we don't seem to be able to pull out of it.
He chose to work for the petulant Prince. He got exactly what he deserves. Now he can go back and sit on his big fat oligarchy.
1
To begin with, if Rex Tillerson was so offended by Donald Trump the more he got to know him; he would've quit long before he finally got the ax via tweet.
Granted Tillerson didn't think twice about actually coming out and disagreeing with Tump in public, but there's no way I'll ever be convinced he was the "best" Secretary of State this country has ever seen -- even though his bowing-out statement about Trump was right on the money, and he's got to score some points for even getting this far.
That said, I'm not ready to jump on the praise train for Mike Pompeo, even if he is purported to have the president's ear because there's no guarantee about how long that will last, and there's something creepy about having the head of the C.I.A. as Secretary of State.
So in a sense, we're right back where we started from when Donald Trump first entered the Oval Office. Nowhere.
1
Praise someone because they are offended by a heartless buffoon? And Tillerson never apologized for Exxon's knowledge of climate change in the 70's, but instead sat on that information. Exxon could have given the world a 20 year headstart on climate change but greed got in the way.
3
And this is a time when we really need a good Secretary of State. Oddly, it's not North Korea that's the most worrisome. It's the fact that the UK and Russia are in an expulsion war over a murder by nerve agent, in the same period when the US killed over 200 Russians in Syria. Very unstable.
Alas, the Ides of March has come and gone, and Trump is still in the White House.
2
If John Bolton becomes the new nationa security advisor to the president, we will be wishing Rex Tillerson could be back at the State Department at least pretending to be part of a team of rivals.
Bolton wrote a piece not long ago touting the wisdom of a first strike option against North Korea. He was a disaster in his short lived role as UN ambassador under Bush 43.
Tillerson had his faults in losing morale in the State Department but it can get even worse with the combination of Bolton and Pompeo.
1
Texas oilman are not saints. After 40 yrs in the oil and gas field, I have seen firsthand all the cheating, lying and stealing that goes on in this industry
2
Tillerson was clearly not the man to run the State Department, even after allowing for the impossible situation he was in serving a president who only listens to his gut and his family members. That’s what the US has been reduced to under Trump, a business being run solely for the benefit of a sole proprietor. Apparently Ivanka will be meeting with South Korea’s foreign minister on her visit And we thought Tillerson wasn’t up to the job.
But the manner of his firing was not only cruel and unnecessary, it was one more bit of evidence to the world, especially our allies, of how untrustworthy the US has become. If the president does this to one of his own, seemingly on an impulse, what can they expect from us? I’m sure they are as uncertain and anxious as the rest os us.
2
Well, this is an upbeat column. Kinda reminds me of the query, "Other than that, how did you like the play, Mrs Lincoln?"
1
Trumps cabinet is a merry go round of incompetent billionaires led by a carnival barker. Tillerson was one of the kids on the ride. Hard to feel any remorse for people that elect to work for Trump and no remorse for Trump whatsoever. I do feel sorry for our country. I'm sure comings and goings will be a constant with this administration. These changes will be so commonplace they won't warrant headlines.
Tillerson tell all due out before the holidays. Condelleza Rice recommended Rex to Don-Don Rex, the King of the Carnival. Interestingly, no public comments from her over the “canned while in the can” sacking of SOS.
Let's put this in terms the average Trump supporter can understand. The world is a school playground. Everyone used to coexist on the playground. Some weak, some strong.Some winners,some losers. Some share the ball, others do not. Along comes the new kid on the playground who doesn't like how the game is played because the rules let little guy gets win sometimes.. Maybe not the game,itself, but perhaps a period or two. The new guy brings along his posse who are told to go out there and make sure the little guys never win. While he stands in the background and talks to the girls and shouts insults at the other participants. One by one members of the posse don't like playing the bully role. And the new guy has another posse member pull them off the playground. And the new guy finds a meaner and badder replacement. Except all along many of the rest of the posse don't like the way the new guy is making them be the bullies. While he gets to hang out with the girls. And the new guy has to try and find tough replacements. But there are only the weaklings no one would choose left to select from. And then one of the girls hanging out with the new guy yells out"He put his hand up my skirt" . And the new guy says "No,she's lying." Then another girl says the same thing. And the new guy looks up and sees everyone including the posse looking back at him. And the new guy yells at the posse "Don't look at me. Get them" . And this is exactly what you voted for.
2
Mr. Cohen is correct when he implies that the current occupant of the White House has a sadistic streak... while this of course is not an impeachable offense, obstruction of justice and a violation of his fundamental oath of office is. The repulsive character traits which characterize Donald J. Trump, while not illegal, are " tips of the iceberg", and we would all do well not to become immune to or jaded by his repeated offensive behaviors.
In a Donald Trump interview years ago shortly before the inaugural year of The Apprenticehe , he had indicated that he had always wanted to be an actor, but maybe he wasn't talented enough, maybe he was just a "bad actor".
Whatever the case, is it worth watching him indulge his fantasies at the expense of our country?
Once again, the way Trump fired Tillerson was another insult to Africa, who was trying to put the best face possible, when confronted by Journalists about Trump’s vulgar belittling of Africans. Tillerson’s firing while on a diplomatic tour of Africa, sends the indirect message to Africans that whatever you were told by the Secretary of State is irrelevant and inconsequential.
Another demonstration of Trump’s callousness toward Africa when positive American leadership can really be pivotal in preventing state collapse in the Horn of Africa. What a contrast to the authority the Russian diplomat Lavrov showed while on a visit to the region at the same time Tillerson was in Africa. Incidentally, both Lavrov and Tillerson stayed in the same hotel in Addis Ababa without ever crossing path.
Mr. Tillerson at least has the satisfaction that Mr. Trump made him and his cohorts lot richer with the stroke of a pen. Poor Mr. McCabe's appears to be a different story altogether.
I should know by now but keep hoping that one of these days, perhaps by accident, Mr. Trump would say or do something to justify the human form and features his body shows off. The truth, I’m afraid, is that our president is a bundle of motiveless malignity toward all except his own self, and the unmistakable hallmark of the Trump administration is mind-numbing cruelty for its own sake.
Trump is an ambitious ruler. For all we know, he could be out to outdo Henry VIII. The wives and the licentious escapades are on target. Continued purges havE LEFT THE RANKS OF HENCHMEN thick with those who can sense Mr. Trump’s desires to be rid of meddlesome lawmen and diplomats. After an ostentatious recusal, even the AG got into the act with pent-up fury by showing lawman McCabe the exit a few hours short of his qualifying for full pension – after 20 years of serving the American people.
In fact, Mr. Trump is full of love, kindness, solicitude and empathy. Unfortunately, he loves himself and forgives himself so much that he has little love, kindness, solicitude or empathy left for others.
My impression is Tillerson did not run the SD very well as at this point it doesnt seem very effective. That said I don't believe he deserved the treatment he got over the last year. I believe he and McCabe should speak out about how bad Trump and his pals are and how the are distroying America for their personal gain.
2
It’s remained a mystery as to who was responsible for the alarming institutional deterioration at State—whether it came from Trump or Tillerson, or perhaps both, or even perhaps neither (in some perverse, neglectful by-product of bad chemistry and bad fit). But Mr Cohen serves up a plausible revelation in dishing on Trump’s disdain for diplomats. Makes perfect sense! Why would the (alleged) Art Of The Deal author want a bunch of deep-state bureaucratic pikers drawing inflated salaries and usurping on his turf? No one can make better deals than Donald. Think Paris Climate, TPP, Nafta, steel tariffs, and the Mexican-financed Wall.
1
"He got official word Tuesday through a Trump tweet (“Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service!”), followed hours later by a phone call from Trump on Air Force One. You wouldn’t treat a cur like that."
Oh yes, people would, and do treat curs like that. (Full disclosure--I live with two Lurchers, a Commonwealth breed that is often considered a cur). Like AKC dogs, they are too often considered undesirable and not of value. All the horror stories people hear about unwanted dogs are worse for curs, mutts and mongrels.
Rex Tillerson--welcome to how too many Americans treat their dogs (note that Trump does not have and never has had any animal companions).
It’s pretty pathetic when we must look at someone who was a failure at his job as the shining light of rescue in this perverted Trump Administration. Tillerson has destroyed the State Department. It will take years to rebuild the strategic alliances he damaged. And yet he looks like the sanest person in the room - or at least the Oval Office - which he very well may have been.
1
US State Department problems related to most key positions in that great institution appointed by Hillary Clinton serving her supporters who are still in shock she lost the horse race in 2016. Maybe every government department still trying to figure out Donald Trump even now. From the outside it looks like the Pentagon runs the USA because the business of government is to keep the military industrial complex steaming ahead with many irons in the fire. Let us hope the IRAN nuclear deal not lost in action; as if the views of Europe ever mattered to Donald Trump. Tillerson showed dignity; he deserved better.
Regardless of the differing opinions on Tillerson's performance the lesson here is how anyone attached to the cheap, 3rd rate reality TV administration gets treated.
The bullying, smart-mouthed ,alleged poseur/ president hasn't the decency to confront these individuals face to face and resorts to "thumbing" them away in a Tweet, belittling them publicly or using one of his henchmen, like Sessions re:McCabe, to do the deed.
This country has lost all credibility from our closest allies , we have significant Diplomatic Posts, empty and our " word" via trump, is unreliable.
The supporters of this maniacal president have put the entire nation in the hands of a most dangerously stupid man.
Vote all his enablers out come November.
2
He had no experience running a massive government operation, yet he thought he was smart enough to do it and that's called hubris.
He was brutish and wouldn't communicate with the media, treating a government agency like a private corporation.
He downsized a vitally important government agency during a period of world turmoil, showing no knowledge of or respect for our leadership role in the world.
Worst of all, however, he accepted a job from a man well known throughout the world as a fiendish carnival barker who groped women at will, talked trash about everyone, routinely lied and ran a business empire built on bankruptcies (stiffing others) and filing lawsuits (smoke and mirrors).
Bubba is still rich and will live the rest of his life in comfort, but he has a little less gas in his ego tank. Our Democracy and the world at large is no better off than it was before he entered the picture.
2
A recent news report indicates that a possible reason why Romney didn't get State was because Putin vetoed it. At the time of Tillerson's nomination, it was reported that he was well-respected in Russia and by Putin. Am wondering now if Tillerson wasn't originally put in State by Putin?
Tillerson did not serve 20 years like McCabe, whose firing by sleazy ferret Sessions illustrates the deplorable rot at the top of our democracy. The pity of it all is that the ill-informed/poorly educated who voted for Trump suffer severe cognitive dissonance. They will never get it.
1
Every day, Donald Trump reaffirms the fitness, character and deep intelligence Hillary Clinton would have brought to the White House. The Russian-aided 2016 election had a clear winner by 3 million votes, and it wasn't Trump. That the GOP would not allow her to assume office was foreshadowed by Mitch McConnell's refusal to act on Merrick Garland's nomination to the Supreme Court.
So it's not just Trump. It's the entire, and the entirely corrupt, Republican Party that installed this crook in the White House. Let's see if the GOP lifts a finger to stop Trump from firing Mueller. I'll guess no.
1
Hogwash, Tillerson may have been a capitalist oilman but brought nothing to the Diplomatic corp as Secretary of State, except his looks. Quite lame on fact, he didn’t get the many hints to resign.
These outrageous acts
are really bad for our
mental health. I am
thinking that the man
profiled last week who
quit reading the news
has the right idea. Just
now the sickening report
about Andrew McCabe...
Everyday, every week...
Trump is a man who
enjoys hurting people.
How can he have any
support?
5
You forgot to add that Trump Barbie will lead the meeting with the South Korean foreign minister. There was a lot of loose talk when Trump was elected that the office would somehow cause him to become "presidential." What it has done has made him ever more convinced that he can do whatever he wants and that no one will stop him.
9
Your idea of what a sec of state is to do is quite different from mine. Here they are.
First run the operations or get someone to do that. Almost no member of this had any idea of how to do that.
Next execute the policies of the president, no matter that you don't agree with them, he is the president. Support them or leave.
Next provide advice to the president and work with others to do so. Least important and worthless without the first two.
Policies? Please describe in detail Trump’s foreign policy.
For all his many flaws, Rex Tillerson had the one important quality that Donald Trump lacks--character. He was, as you note, not a "yes" man and he, for all his mishandling of the State Department, firmly believed in its primary mission--diplomacy. Now we have a right-wing conservative with a military (West Point) background with a similar "mind-set" to Donald Trump who will upend the notion of diplomacy for a much more aggressive and confrontational policy that President Trump wants. It will be Mike Pompeo who'll willing carry out the order to end the Iran Nuclear Accord. And it will be Mr. Pompeo who will provide cover for a tough stance against North Korea where we're already teetering on the brink of a nuclear showdown. They are the "loosest cannon" and the consequences are truly terrifying.
12
Mr. Tillerson appears to be a decent man, who knows right from wrong. But he showed poor judgment accepting a job he had no qualifications for. Maybe he was driven by the desire to serve this country and protect it from its own president. He failed in this mission as well. In the eyes of most Americans (those who follow their civic duty of engaging in our democracy) he can redeem himself by telling his story from within the administration.
20
My respect for Tillerson grew after seeing the "60 Minutes" interview- I found him to come across as someone who deeply cared about our country- the reservations that I had about his relationship with Putin based on his time at Exxon Mobil were assuaged. I thought he would be able to advocate for America's stance in regard to Russia more effectively than Trump who acts more and more each day like Putin's poodle. I thought his advocacy for the Paris climate accord as well as for diplomacy with North Korea and his position on the Iran nuclear deal were re-assuring. I wish him well in future endeavors.
16
Tillerson’s mantra was: “Well, it’s your deal.”
Unfortunately, it's not just Trump's deal. It's ours, too.
17
What it takes at Exxon or the military or Wall Street is not what it takes at State or any government agency.
What is needed to succeed as the head of a federal agency, besides a little bit of knowledge, is a talent in herding cats, none of whom belong to you.
The only such people I can think of are successful managers in higher education. And they came from the outside.
5
Pompeo was named because he is a "yes" man. We are facing inevitable disaster, which, after Trump leaves, will take decades to repair. Why is Congress, ie, Republicans, sitting on its hands. The only hope is that we, the people, recognize what Republicans don't and will force change in the midterms.
33
"what it takes at Exxon is not what it takes at State"
And that's the problem with Trump's entire Cabinet. These people, who were all lord and master in their little rich worlds, are now all public servants working for We the People, not themselves.
None of them have a clue about how to do this. Putting the needs of others before their own isn't in their DNA. Oversight is an unknown concept.
But hey, as long as they look good on camera, it's all good.
28
You mean like when we say "our dictator" is better than the "other dictator?"
This mentality of sacrificing our principles for some creep who we claim is "less bad," is too often, the driving force of US foreign policy.
It's not "realpolitik." It's just plain stupid, often counterproductive and almost always destructive to the spheres we touch (and we touch a lot of them!).
There was next to nothing "good" about Tillerson. Good riddance. His replacement may be even worse. But that is no reason to pine for Rex.
9
"Tillerson was not about to shred his own honor to please a dishonorable boss. Nor was he ready to bend to Trump’s brand of sadism.....This streak of sadism, the other face of Trump’s insecurity and cowardice, was evident in the way Tillerson was terminated."
Sadism. Such an ugly word, and the first time I've seen this adjective in a NYT column.
And yet, here we are. Not only is the president morally, emotionally, and intellectually unfit to lead this nation, he's sadistic to boot.
A modern day Caligula. Tillerson's dismissal didn't even warrant a face to face meeting. Last night, Jeff Sessions bowing to the increasingly unbound boss, fired a 21-year FBI official precisely one and half days before his retirement.
Both of these actions are sick. They tell public servants they're talents aren't appreciated unless they profess undying loyalty to the king.
We're entering a very dangerous phase of this administration, and things will get worse before they get better. The more Trump rules with an iron fist, the more he refuses advice--indeed, disagreement with the boss is grounds for firing--the more reckless he'll become, both domestically and internationally.
Tillerson and McCabe are the first casualties of sadism. I suspect they won't be the last.
61
It is beyond disappointing to see someone, who holds himself out as a thoughtful commentator, take potshots at an outgoing public servant who had the audacity to challenge the small-minded foreign policy of an egoist. By all means, let’s find fault in the efforts of someone who, by all accounts, shared in our disgust for this embarrassment of a president. Never mind that politics takes some measure of compromise to gain the confidence of a duly-elected, albeit remarkably incompetent, head of state to achieve some progress. Why don’t we dance on the gravestone of this outgoing, provably independent thinking figure while we await the introduction of a more presidentially approved lemming.
Maybe a modicum of perspective would do us all a bit of good. Or does that beg for too much optimism from a news media industry accustomed to selling negativity and pessimism?
1
This is the era of the Exit Sermon. Tillerson gave his, reminding the people who serve in Washington that they are expected to adhere to the Constitution and server the people with honesty and integrity. Jeff Flake, who has called out for the destruction of his own party as they are bad for Democracy - and who stated that overturning the use of lies and propaganda as a political tool, will be a horse hard to shove back in the barn.
For the rest of us? The problem lies that the only people calling out the naked emperors and the Machiavellian deceit are the folks who are leaving. The folks who stay are mute.
So yes, very faint praise for Tillerson. He was a terrible diplomat, but one who recognized that diplomacy exists for a reason. He was a Trump employee, but one who recognized the true lack of merit in his boss.
When truthiness is dead, because untruth is easier, a little bit if integrity shines like a supernova.
20
Roger Cohen is correct here. Rex Tillerson seemed ineffective as Sec. of State until you take a good look at his replacement ,Mike Pompeo.
Pompeo will again be the "first in his class" --of war hawks.
Our president, along with his new buddy, think they can talk North Korea out of their small "nuclear capacity" while we keep our 5000 of them which we are currently "improving"
When (or if) they all get together for their "chat", it would be safer for the two Koreas (and the world) if they all talked about the nice dinner they enjoyed together. They also might talk about their children, grandchildren and nothing else.
Any other subjects mean Trouble for this group.
It's just a little bit harder to bomb each other once you have had an enjoyable dinner together and told each other all about your children and grandchildren.
It would be better if wife Millennia comes along and leave Hawk Pompeo at home.
This is known in diplomatic circles as--Diplomacy.
It's necessary in our current world.
Where is Rex when we need him?
In a better place. With his Boy Scouts.
Rex is an Eagle Scout. He doesn't fit with Donald J. Trump.
5
It is interesting to note that Tillerson's last official statement was harshly critical of Russia. That was on a Friday. The next Tuesday, without warning, he was fired by Trump.
14
The person who does the hiring bares the responsibility ( it will never be Trump) for the error of selecting a candidate who is ill equipped for the task. Unfortunately, for America the CEO only has experience hiring flunkies and con men and wouldn't recognise expertise unless he rolled over her in a motel.
7
I am fearing that Pompeo, who is much smarter and experienced than Trump, has insinuated himself close to the leader so that he can assume that role at the right time. It feels like a replay of ancient Rome....and although Trump has street smarts Pompeo should not be underestimated.
3
When you say faint praise, I hope it is very, very faint.
I was certain of this outcome the moment he was nominated. I knew it was not going to end well. I just hope his post-secretary roles include exposing the fraud president
I’ll be waiting for the book.
5
This debacle with the Tillerson departure supports the theory that waiting to remove Trump with elections is a dangerous game and can only invite disaster.
The longer we wait to remove Trump the more self confidence he will build that can be used to angrily and impulsively start a war using nuclear weapons.
His emotional instability is glaringly obvious as is his total lack of qualifications for the job.
We must recognize that the electoral college has tragically failed the country and must be removed as part of the presidential election. All evidence supports this as does the likelihood more Trumps are waiting in the wings for future elections.
20
I simply don't understand how any man or woman with any sense of dignity, integrity and self respect could agree to work for this president.
Whether you like him or not Tillerson ran one of the biggest, most successful companies in the world, yet he was treated like garbage by a man who US banks won't even lend to anymore due to all of his loan defaults and bankruptcies. A man whose brilliant business decisions included Trump University and Trump Steaks fired a guy who ran one of the biggest corporations on the planet.
The puny con artist who claims to be the world's greatest dealmaker has failed to make a single deal with any country during his tenure. Yet he fired a man who during his career made countless deals all over the world.
The ironies of the Trump presidency, and the pathetic inabilities of his supporters to recognize them, continue to abound.
28
Tillerson, a controlled cautious man, did not like the sick emotional energy that Trump needs to feed on to charge his chaotic brain.
Trump only knows war. He will continue to fill his administration with rabid, stupid dogs that bite the leaders at home and abroad that try to be friends. With what passes as planning, Trump bullies and threatens to force others to his will.
Will Kim be subdued, will Europe, Canada and Mexico give in to extortion, will China reform, will Iran become meek.
Accepting Trump's methods is trouble. The Republican Congress, followers and equivocating media feel Trump is just a bumbling real estate guy used to running his own show who now has some experience in gov't and will surely do better.
When Trump leaves the room, the smiles and flattery turn into conniving and plotting. What apologists say is working today, Trump's bully tactics, will sow distrust and lawlessness. The result will be a gradual decent into world paranoia. Where does that leave the US after one term of Trump?
9
At some point, Trump will make one enemy too many.
Just a guess: he's getting to the point where he has no friends left and when his enemies start ganging up on him.
Can't come soon enough.
7
It’s not possible to be a decent person and work for the federal government run by trump. They all just need to quit. There are plenty of jobs out there which don’t require you to sell your soul.
10
Maybe it's time for Mr. Tillerson to let us know what was really said by Trump in his first meeting with Putin. My guess is that Trump never even mentioned the election with Putin. I'm sure Mr. Mueller's team would love to see Mr. Tillerson's notes on the meeting.
1
Rex Tillerson in his farewell speech to State did more than I expected him to; but remained responsible in his implied and not explicit criticisms of the president. He is an adult, and thank heavens for that. But, despite early indications otherwise, he wasn’t a good fit for State. The environment in which he grew as an executive clearly was one that protected him as he rose, eventually eliminating the need for allies below Exxon’s board level. That need re-merged at state but his skills at developing personal alliances may by then have atrophied, as perhaps had his inclination to do so. And he never meshed with Trump.
Most Americans have some sympathy for Roger’s defense of State and the hollowing-out of its senior corps of diplomats through protest-resignations, which undoubtedly will take years to rebuild. Unfortunately, however, presidents other than Trump wouldn’t have shared the sympathy. And, of course, THEY’RE the ones whose ox is most directly gored when those diplomats fail to back up their presidents and when they fail fundamentally at core missions, such as anticipating Arab Spring with sufficient warning to allow us to get in the game, rather than merely stand on the sidelines and watch history unfold.
In the end, we don’t charge the SecState with conducting foreign affairs as a viceroy, we empower and hold the president accountable for that, and the State Dept. is merely the engine by which he usually implements his policies.
2
The U.S. State Dept. is NOT an autonomous entity: it derives its authority from the president of the United States. And engines occasionally need to be overhauled.
A lot of people disagree with Trump’s objectives which, it might surprise those people, are strategic as well as tactical. He may lack the art or even the inclination to express it in such terms, but instinctively he wants a framework of global alliances and norms of interaction that not only protect the economic and national security interests of the U.S., but whose diplomacy makes those frameworks as permanent as anyone can make them. Despite the unease and outright resistance of some, doing such things is what we elect presidents to do, he made his desired outcomes quite clear during the campaign, and he was duly elected our president. He won that battle of visions and the naysayers lost. At least until the next sanity-check of 2020.
And those who can’t or won’t get onboard, either because they disagree with the vision or can’t get beyond the persona of Donald Trump, or both, will need to find other contributions to which they may dedicate their lives.
"the persona of Donald Trump" is that of a vile and cruel man whose ravenous ego eats fine people up and spits them out like so much garbage . That is his pleasure. At his next rally (support group)
he will brag about draining the swamp and his base will clap and cheer never understanding that Donald Trump is the swap.
You're using "duly elected" to mean legitimately elected. Trump was not legitimately elected. That's what the Trump-Russia scandal is all about.
1
From agreeing to serve Trump to illserving the state department was not just a chance but a conscious choice of Rex Tillerson that he made in a hurry to repent in leasure now. The denouement he's in along with the state department he headed, only he's personally responsible for.
4
I hope Mr. Cohen reads the comment section of his colleague, Michelle Goldberg's column about Tillerson today; paraphrasing one of the posters: As head of Exxon Tillerson collaborated and colluded with many of the worst dictators on earth, and subjugated American tax law so that Exxon can reap windfall profits while paying nothing in tax. (e.g. in 2016 it made $7.8 billion in profits and received a $406 million tax CREDIT)."
30
Thank you, Mr. Cohen, for the quotes of Mr. Tillerson Rexit statement.
I also feel a gratitude towards him. And I also like people who don't kiss-up. I am one of them.
3
As a former Foreign Service Officer, I would like to thank Mr. Douthat for his observation that “Foreign Service Officers are decent people.” And as he also said, Pompeo will inherit a building full of patriots. My deceased FSO colleague Anne Smedinghoff died delivering books to an Afghan school. Decent, and a patriot. It could have been me or a thousand other FSOs. Trump doesn’t deserve them.
63
I would have a lot more respect for Tillerson if he had resigned. He would have maintained some sense of integrity.
10
It's possible Tillerson chose to stay in the job as a check against Trump. Despite the insults and disrespect. Trump and Kushner contradicted his leadership, put him down, kept him out of meetings, and made disastrous statements and decisions that upended years of relationships between the U.S. and its allies, that he often found out about after the face. I think Tillerson, accustomed to running the world's most powerful oil company, thought he could use his influence to buffer Trump and push for more reasonable policies. But you can't reason with a snake.
19
If the election in PA district 18 is any indication, 1/2 the population still wants this Trump Administration. The Republican party may hem and haw all they want in private but it means nothing in public. Elections have consequences, this will continue until the Republican party is thoroughly thrashed in November.
16
Had President Obama had a Secretary of State who frequently disagreed with him, would the Times have chastised him for making a change?
I think Trump deserves a cabinet that is not trying to undermine his goals. The Iran deal was highly controversial and negotiated by a President not known for being a tough negotiator, Many opposed it intelligently and with conviction. The Paris Accord allowed the largest polluters in the world (China and India) to continue unabated for 13 years, while those who were doing the most self regulation were forced to make even more changes and to pay the lion's share of the costs associated with the agreement. It seemed like a pretty bad deal.
TPP was deeply disliked by progressives, Sanders supporters, and working people. Trump represented their views and took us out of the agreement. Is this - is withdrawal from the Paris and Iran agreements - utter insanity? No it's not. It is merely an opposing view. Tillerson should have represented the President but he didn't. He's gone and a new secretary is in the works. So?
1
Look deeper. Regarding 1) the Iran deal, do you think that all these countries--Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China, and The European Union would have supported it --if its terms were stupid and Obama was giving away the store??
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/072715/dummies-guide-ira...
Granted the TPP has some problems, but with the U.S. abandonment 11 members of a Pacific trade pact have moved forward; many inking deals with China.
The Paris Climate Accord was signed by 198 nations--maybe not perfect but that's a pretty amazing and historical accomplishment.
27
Tillerson simply chose to be something other than, well, a sycophant. And because of that, he now joins the chorus of many others who’ve been asked to depart from an administration that has yet to fully launch.
I agree that he was not a great Secretary of State. And running a multinational company and running the state department are vastly different jobs. But didn't you feel safer with a "real person" who had values in the job. If you watched him at the Boy Scout Jamboree where Trump, once again, disgraced himself and the office of the President, Tillerson was seething. The new guy, Pompeo, is both a war monger and a yes man to Trump. Very bad combination!
86
I can shed no tears for Rex Tillerson. He got the taste of his own medicine.
12
I think it is honorable that he tried to serve his country. Didn't have to leave what was undoubtedly a cushy, private-sector job. He displayed integrity despite the company he was forced to keep.
14
Before his brief tenure at State, nobody knew who Rex Tillerson was and I'm sure as a charter member of the global elite, he was happy with that anonymity. In his world, the only people who knew who he was were the people that really counted, people with lots and lots of money. Now he's a punchline, even to the dollar-store hoi polloi. Maybe, now that he's free, he should bathe in tomato juice. That's what's usually recommended when a dog gets skunked.
14
We are watching a president, who was elected by a minority of voters, wreck American governmental institutions that were built of over decades and decades. He has no idea of their value, only contempt. Those who elected him have no real grasp of what he is doing. They just read his tweets and listen to his stream of consciousness at what basically are ongoing campaign pep rallies.
GOP strategist Grover Norquist once said that we should reduce government to a size that could be drowned in a bathtub. We're reaching that point faster than anyone could possibly imagine. It's appalling.
80
Yes, Tillerson's outgoing speech reflects a few values of State and the rest of us. But Cohen says Tillerson was offended. as he got to know Trump, by Trump's dishonesty and vainglory. How could he not have known? Did Tillerson not watch the campaign at all? Cohen cuts Tillerson too much of a break.
22
It's possible Mr. Tillerson knew and was trying to make a difference. It's also possible that Trump solely selected him because of Tillerson's Exxon deal with Putin.
4
Or, or, now that it's pretty clear that dropping the sanctions on Russia is politically infeasible (even for Trump) and Exxon/Mobil's $500billion project in Russia's Arctic Ocean is never going to get moving, Putin cut his buddy Rex loose.
3
Yes, yes, and yes. The T was in State to cripple it and bring the $ in for Exxon and their technology transfer to Putin. Tillerson is no victim of Trump; he ceased to be useful. Tillerson aka Exxon could not get their Russia result, destroying State and more. So Tillerson is gone and the assets in our government, Trump & co will find another way.
We have gone from the ridiculous to the sublime, and still there is no end in sight. Where is republican leadership? Are they so morally bereft that they've sold out our country for a tax cut? We are headed for catastrophe...
13
I think Ivanka and/or Jared is taking Rex Tillerson's place so it can actually get much worse, folks.
11
In referring to the incoming Secretary of State, Cohen writes that Pompeo has "ideological alignment with him insofar as that is possible with a man driven by gut impulses."
I did not know Trump had an ideology, leave alone more fundamental qualities of humility and humanity. And if he had one, being aligned with that would make you an evil person.
10
We rid ourselves of diplomats then this guy goes to Korea who can’t negotiate with our own allies, with Democrats, or Republicans or even with his own staff. And he’s going to deal with one of the rogue’s of the world with nuclear bombs in both hands.
I’d rather send my 18 year-old grandson.
13
We have to give the Devil his due. North Korea's Kim Jong-un struck when the iron was hot, the timing, perfect. Not that the presence of Rex Tillerson mattered but.....
3
The problem with people running a business and becoming President is their expertise is specific to one business. And, unfortunately, Trumps expertise has been shady dealings, shady ventures and harassing any perceived enemy with nuisance lawsuits.
So it’s no wonder he believes that rich = brains and critical thinking on a broad spectrum. Which is very rare. Most successful people stay razor focused on one thing.
The Presidency requires the ability to sit and listen to various voices that intertwine topics. Budgets intersecting with healthcare, conflicts that pop up for various reasons, figuring out which country wants what an why. It involves public education and upward mobility, alliances, trade agreements, crumbling infrastructure, finance technology, etc all intersecting in ways that require many experts in these fields to present their evidence to the president and have his cabinet spin that all into a coherent policy.
He is simply unqualified and completely not interested in doing the job. He shows his severe lack of understanding of it. This is so dangerous. Like Hillary and Obama or not but they had a vastly better grasp on how a government should run.
I, for one, am tired of the likes of Steve Brannon, Trump Family, General Kelly, Sanders and Connaway playing fast and loose with our democracy which is the most precious gift ever bestowed on a people and set up to survive almost any idiot in any branch.
24
I wish I’d have said what you did ... thank you
When we start praising two top executives who have been utterly execrable in carrying out their jobs, Rex Tillerson and Jeff Sessions, with the disclaimer that AT LEAST they didn't commit ... this or that heinous act ... we are truly in an unfathomable septic tank for which the dreaded "swamp" was ostensibly drained.
37
Accomplished nothing. Destroyed moral in the State Dept. Insulted key allies.
Save your sympathy for the career diplomats who have had to endure the humiliation of reporting to a boss who didn't understand them and worse, didn't respect them. Hopefully Rex will dedicate his retirement to cleaning up oil spills.
24
Rex Tillerson, once one of the most pieerful men on the planet, is now a figure of pity. Let that sink in. This is what Trump does to his people.
8
Does anyone understand WHY Tillerson gutted the State Department?
9
I still can hardly believe that "the loosest cannon in the room", this vain, sadistic, malicious, self centered, ignorant of some of the basic facts of government, ignorant of the Constitution, grossly immoral man was elected two years ago by sensible middle class Americans. And they knew all these things about him and saw it all on TV before they elected him. All the problems in this administration spring from Trump, himself, and his highly disordered character. Tillerson is the latest example which is by this point probably already ancient history.
12
Just as as the W. Bush administration seems to have been ameliorated after this current president's time in the White House, Trump has a geneus for making us miss incompetent and mean-spirited people by finding and replacing them with someone who is worse.
5
The sure sign of a cowardly bully: Not even facing a person to fire him.
11
Say what you about Tillerson’s time in office, he wasn’t a grifter like so many others inthe cabinet and administration.
6
Trump fired Tillerson and James Comey abruptly when both were out-of-town. If he had any management (or political) skill, he would informed them in person and asked for resignations. Comey's book will be out next month. Tillerson can also write a book about morons. Meanwhile, Trump will weasel out of the Iran nuclear deal while he meets with another moron, Kim-Jong Un. Unlike Iran, Kim has nukes and long range missiles.
2
I'm not so sure that firing someone to their face is important. They typically know why they got fired and the person doing the firing shouldn't be in a position to pour salt on the wounds. Are there any H.R. people who can tell us standard operating procedure?
1
I look forward to the day when we can all say to trump: "YOU'RE FIRED!!!!!!!!!"
12
To quote Dorothy Parker: "What fresh hell is this?"
12
I liked Tillerson's farewell speech as it appeared factual and presidential. Don't know why he gutted the State Department, perhaps initially wanting to go along with the White House agenda. Quite oddly, many Russian-affiliated players came onto the current president's team though Tillerson's energy-oriented connection differed from the sleazy links of those persons the FBI recently indicted. While the Secretary of State had little government experience, his work at Exxon exemplified a complex responsibility incomparable with the Trump family real estate enterprise. His manner with the press seemed arrogant, but that attitude he could amend. He learned by experience that a wise man ought to put space between himself and Trump. Perhaps, history ought to forgive him a little bit.
4
Farewell, Rex Tillerson, an Arabist leading a rotten house of Arabists, full of anti-Israel obstinacy and blindness. Go back to helping to pollute this world even more. I was very down on Trump for his disastrous so-called tax reform, and his dismantling of a good deal of environmental protection, but finally abiding by the will of the vast majority of our nation and moving our embassy to Jerusalem, coupled with the sacking of Tillerson, gave me second thoughts. Wish Trump had picked Nicky Haley, though.
1
Many commenters here miss the point utterly.
Unfit as Trump is, the government still has to be staffed. His unfitness is more, not less, reason for people to agree to serve in the government, where they may be able to mitigate a bit of the harm that he might otherwise do.
4
Faint praise, indeed. Mr. Tillerson's lack of experience in diplomacy and lack of diplomacy in running the State Department has harmed the United States for a long time to come, from the experts who left in droves to the unfilled top positions, his desire to please Trump has left the department crippled and limping. Calling Mr. Trump a moron, however true, was neither wise nor helpful, however much I may agree. Mr. Tillerson deserves no praise, though no one should be fired by a public tweet.
7
Tillerson “shredded his honor” not only in his pathetic performance at the State Department, but more particularly when he continued to represent the man he knew to be a “moron”. He didn’t have the moral courage to quit, so being fired by a moronic tweet seems about right.
8
As a Texan and a trillionaire, it's no too late for Tillerson to step up, explain why he called Trump a moron (for giving an extraordinarily in appropriate and nasty political speech to the Boy Scouts) and tell folks that no matter how much you love Trump's policies, this is too high a price to pay.
7
Lord help us.
4
The most admirable people who choose to associate with Trump are seriously lacking in judgement. Then there are the rest: those who signed on because the election provided an unprecedented opportunity to lay waste to civil rights, the environment, the social safety net (sic), etc. The White House has turned into Jabba's Palace.
13
Sec'y Tillerson is, by all applicable standards, a good man in possession of admirable intellect. What he achieved at ExxonMobil, no matter what one's attitude to fossil fuel, can only be described as spectacularly successful for those whom he served: The stockholders. I believe him when he reminisces about his association with Boy Scouts of America.
All that said, his decision to enter public service by accepting the position of Secretary of State was and remains mysteriously puzzling. In retrospect, he either displayed stunning naiveté or was, for his own private reasons, willing to suspend his ample powers of reasoning. He ended up neither serving his country nor advancing personally. No matter what one thinks of his politics, that's a tragedy.
7
"A merchant," as James Joyce noted, is "one who buys cheap and sells dear." That is all. I am sure this is a talent of some kind, but I am not sure that it is particularly amazing. I don't know why we have elevated being a businessman to the greatest state of mankind. The idea that Tillerson (or anyone else for that matter) would be good at diplomacy because he was a good businessman is one of the most damaging in the American imagination.
21
Tillerson just couldn't understand why the State Department wasn't turning a profit.
11
When Mr Tillerson was appointed I thought "the Ship of State has collided with the Exxon Valdez."
Recovering, I thought more positively that he had lived in the real world, he knew the whole world unlike our provincial president, and that he was NOT CRAZY. We need experience, knowledge, and levelheadedness now more than ever.
3
Serving "at the will" of the president. Serving the president. Cabinet secretaries serve the nation, the people, the idea... In this administration, the president serves only himself. And he would be the only one doing that.
You'd think Tillerson's treatment and the many others would serve to warn those not yet abused and speed their departure on their own terms.
There are some people you simply cannot work for or with.
Resignations down to the level protected by law would permit our AMERICAN, professional civil servants to continue running the country while the so-called president fumes - and protect the nation from the rule of chaos..
44
Yes there are some YOU can't do that, others CAN and actually want to do so. I would be very happy if many career people would leave, sooner rather than later.
I, like most people, initially viewed Tillerson with way more than hint of suspicion. He had no diplomatic or governmental experience, and at Exxon he had engineered the half TRILLION dollar joint deal with Rosneft that was put on hold due to the Russia sanctions, so walked in the door with an enormous conflict of interest.
Over the months, his lack of diplomatic and bureaucratic prowess aside, I at least viewed him as a decent and honorable person. Regrettably, traits in desperately short supply at the WH, and dwindling by the day.
9
We kind of thought Rex and Don would play well together. Both have displayed a kind of ruthlessness when chasing money. Under Rex, Exxon ignored US sanctions against Russia for meddling in Crimea, and ignored an agreement among other global companies not to give hundreds of millions of dollars to brutal men intent on buying weapons to use against their own citizens on the African continent. It was all about the money for these two men with big egos. Rex is going home to a woman who loves him, even if he is, to us, a well dressed thug. Donald, sliding from one bimbo to the next, wears his ugly id on his sleeve. Urges his fellow Americans to beat each other up at frequent rallies. Same tolerance for brutality. Trump lacks the Tillerson veneer of propriety.
9
While Tillerson can never be forgiven for acquiescing to the dismemberment of the State Department, I do admire him for calling Trump what he is. Only a moron would go into a meeting with Canada's prime minister totally unprepared and ignorant of our trade with that country, lie about a "deficit" that's really a surplus, then brag about his ignorance and his lying at a luncheon with donors.
24
Trump’s ignorance and stupidity in full view! What a display for all the world to see.
We also are on full view, having elected him. Well, sorta...
Tillerson was hired him because Trump believed he had a personal relationship with Putin who is blackmailing him. Tillerson's inexperience was his best attribute. But most importantly, Trump loved the idea of bossing around the former CEO of the world's largest company. For a con artist like Trump , it was too rich to resist.
29
I will follow the lead of Tillerson and not mention the name of this president. But this presidency is like Fukushima, the Japanese nuclear accident caused by the tsunami. It was something nobody expected, a disaster, it goes on spewing radiation and injures anyone who gets too close. The containers of deadly irradiated waste just keep piling up at the site. They say Fukushima will take 40 years to clean up.
9
Trump has made it clear he is the only one who counts. All he needs in his administration are toadies and fellow con artists. Diplomats for Trump are a waste of time and money. He will make the deals and reap the rewards. He's dismantling government to concentrate power at the top. End of story.
15
"To a president who demands absolute fealty and coerces loyalty by terrorizing the people around him, this was shocking lèse-majesté."
This description (admittedly partial) of that piece of dreck in the Offal Office, sums up a short opinion of the occupant.
At this point, knowing this in advance of the election, warning people did no good--we got dragged along with their poor judgement. I'll never let them forget it.
10
I am very worried.
The new rumor is that trump is planning to fire Mc Masters and put John Bolton in his place, fire Sessions and put Pruitt in his place and have Pruitt shut down Mueller.
Yikes!!! My hair is on fire!!!
24
Wanderer--You are right to be concerned.
Bolton advocates pre-emptive nuclear strikes. Putin has warned of his willingness to strike back.
I believe Trump's goal is to distract from the Mueller probe by landing us in WW-III by summer. If that's the case, more than your hair will be on fire...
13
Oh, boy. I hope we're both wrong, and Mueller gets it done.
6
Good for him, he didn't kiss up to probably the most disgusting creature in the public sphere and was "personally offended by [its] dishonesty and vainglory"?
Have we sunk so low as a people that such behavior is even worthy of acknowledgment?
7
As you state, Tillerson was absolutely NOT qualified to be secretary of state under any measure. He never worked in diplomacy, never studied it, and never worked outside his own for-profit empire. (Similar to our President). He alienated his staff, excluded the press, and didn't fill key positions all over the globe. His service is an absolute failure.
The only reason people are saying anything nice about this man is because he had to put up with the worst President in history, and because he was fired as he was. I don't think Pompeo will be any better, but let's not forget Rubio's comments of concern over Tillerson after the first day of hearings last year, which of course he ignored as he went along with Party over Nation in voting to approve.
I will have no tears for this man, even though he quite rightly called our POTUS a moron
6
Tillerson, Schmillerson, they are all low-lifes willing to sell their souls for what? A mess of porridge and a very dim future.
Good riddance.
5
Well said. What a sad picture you painted about Trump's utter lack of principles, and plenty of bombastic self-regard, and the doggone destruction of this brittle democracy, in a most shameful disregard of the rule of law. I suspect that Tillerson, and not Romney, was selected to be Secretary of State, not by Trump but by Putin, as Tillerson was friendly to Russia while C.E.O. of Exxon-Mobile, with the added benefit of hoping that U.S. sanctions on Russian interference in American elections (handing the presidency to Trump) would be lifted. It just happened that Tillerson could not be fully controlled by Trump, 'requiring' complete loyalty to his dictates. Although true that Tillerson was incompetent in this job, he has some signs of decency Trump could only dream of. Too bad Pompeo is being considered for the job, diplomacy, when he is as much a bully as his boss, not a good omen in Trump's militarizing objectives. Brute force as the first attempt to gain control is an awful example of stupidity, usually with disastrous results (in both blood and treasure); and the suffering, a 'crime' in itself.. But then again, once Trump's vainglory is satisfied, he doesn't give a fig for the untold harm he may unleash, and for no good reason.
1
Like the proverbial bad boy, trump cannot be tamed or contained by anyone including his three wives and numerous mistresses. Look for trump to bring out the worst not the best in Pompeo as he seems to with everyone around him.
3
Tillerson was a slow learner if he hadn't realized the con man in Trump.
10
When the President of the United States meets a petty tyrant on the tyrant's home turf, that's no summit - just validation for Kim, self-gratification for The Dotard - who will be treated to one heck of a show.
Just stay home, Mr. President. No more foreign trips. And as Wednesday proves, you're not even fit to travel domestically.
5
Trump, as Putin's poodle, seems bent on trashing American government.
3
Trump's thinking - the Madman Summit will be a ratings blockbuster!
6
like the Rumble in the Jungle, only with even more yuge ratings! brought to you by the Trump Organization.
2
“This disdain for diplomacy bodes ill for the North Korean summit, a meeting where the loosest cannon in the room could well be the American”
Trump isn’t interested in accomplishing anything at the summit. He’s only holding it to brag he did something his predecessors didn’t do. It’s never about the substance with Trump. It’s reality TV for idiots.
10
Tillerson was a mixed bag. Cohen calls it fairly. Good at meeting w/ world leaders and a reasonable man of integrity. However, he partially dismantled the State Department -- the back bone that provides what little continuity there is to U.S. Diplomacy.
4
It is tempting to grant Tillerson a degree of integrity based on the way he was fired, as in "you wouldn't do that to a dog." But if Tillerson was smart and tough enough to head Exxon, he was certainly smart and tough enough to know what he was getting into by joining Trump's circus. Either he was arrogant and thought he could out maneuver the president, or he saw an opportunity to manipulate his position for personal gain, or both. But in no way was he a wide-eyed innocent, brimming with idealism, his departing speech notwithstanding. The way he was fired was despicable and unsurprising. I recall the first thing I learned in upper management: If you don't know you're about to be fired, you're not paying attention.
Tillerson's reign at State was, likewise, unsurprising. Just as piloting a freighter through the hazards of San Francisco Bay requires someone with years of experience and a deep knowledge of the hidden hazards, so with running the State Department. Tillerson was the equivalent of a man practiced at standing in the bow of a yacht. It's no wonder he ran the ship aground.
12
Had the Republicans in Congress done their jobs to make sure those being appointed to such important positions were properly qualified for their jobs, this disaster wouldn't have taken place. One after another they approved woefully unprepared nominees for vital jobs. I blame them and them alone. Trump is beyond repair.
23
Did he do the best he could do, given "Trump"? Will we ever know? I do not think he had the chance. But, is that his fault? He must bear some of that blame for taking the job while also knowing Trump and having some reasonable notion of what he was getting into. Did he misjudge Trump and his potential influence on him? Did he think he and Trump agreed on what should be done? Was he totally naïve on what the effect of gutting the State Dept. really meant? Was he the victim of his own ego and experience as a CEO? Let's see if he answers any of these questions, they we can praise or throw stones. Until then I do not know if we can.
Mr. Tillerson should not be embarrassed by his Tweet firing - the country is embarrassed by the man in the White House and those who support his boorish behavior. It was Tillerson, not Trump who worked for a dialogue with N Korea - and Trump would been humiliated by sharing the spotlight with Tillerson. I hope there was empathy from foreign diplomats for Mr. Tillerson. Few countries have had leaders showing the kind of unhinged behavior shown by Trump. Trump's recent comments about Prime Minister Trudeau show his deep insecurities in the presence of intelligence and good manners. The few recent photos of Tillerson showed a happy man - I expect too happy for Trump. Tillerson can now press MUTE when Trump appears on TV - I do hope there will be a Tillerson memoir.
2
Perhaps Mr. Tillerson should consider returning his Eagle Scout medal to the Boy Scouts. It seems to be quite tarnished after all these years.
"On my honor, I will do my duty ... "
3
I checked with my wife to make certain that it was not just a guy thing, but she independently corroborated that the picture accompanying your column makes it appear that the ex secretary is leaving his mark on the state department as he makes his final exit. I suppose that he earned at least that much relief.
I usually share Cohen’s points of view. In this case, I respect Roger’s rationale for “faint” praise. But I believe Tillerson is smart enough to have seen through POTUS from day one, and should not have acquiesced to gutting not only the morale of the diplomatic corps which represents and serves ALL Americans, but - more importantly - also the defilement of the value of diplomacy itself. Tillerson, not Trump, was responsible for undermining and devaluing the power of diplomacy.
3
Relative to Ambassador Walles' criticism about not being valued, a fundamental weakness that has always kept American foreign policy from achieving its potential since the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 is that a vast swath of the American people "does not really value what the State Department does." And that attitude got elected president of the United States in 2016.
This attitude about not needing the government started with Ronald Reagan and people need to remember that the first derivative of Reagan was George W. Bush and the second derivative of Reagan is Donald Trump. These are multi-trillion dollar mistakes in judgment by the American people.
4
That's what the Electoral College voted for. Trump's disdain of our allies and diplomacy in general was on clear display during his campaign. America has the President Americans deserve.
This will only change when Americans drop our nativist ideas of moral superiority and wake to the fact that people all over the world are in 'this' together. Diplomacy requires respect for other points of view, and unfortunately enough Americans to control the Electoral College have shown they are actually proud to have no respect.
3
As the State Department sinks in importance the Pentagon assumes more of its duties ...and influence. This is dangerous enough without the added burden of a new secretary who is a war hawk himself. If Bolton takes over from McMaster, as national security adviser, we are in for a very dangerous time. As far I can see, this administration is going from bad to worse, if that's possible.
8
America - or at least a sweeping majority of American voters - are putting up with this human pustule of a president, and the terrible damage he is doing and threatens to do, in reliance on the firm conviction that they can relieve the nation of this scourge through their voting power in the next two biennial elections.
Given the manifest vulnerabilities of our computerized vote counting processes to manipulation and systemic fraud, this reliance may well be catastrophically misplaced. There are those - including those with short-pipeline access to the outfits that program and control the vote counting processes - who, for a variety of cynical reasons, have little interest in seeing Trump and his enablers dispatched or American democracy rescued.
If we continue to count votes in the vulnerable, partisan, proprietary, pitch-dark of cyberspace, we may only see our national nightmare - which has coincided with our embrace of computerized voting - deepen. We would then really have only ourselves, our passivity, and our negligence to blame for our demise and for the damage we do to the world on our way down.
2
While mostly agreeing, as an introvert, I resent your implication that Tillerson's possible introversion was a factor in his inability to do his job.
2
I love my country, I do, but I laugh aloud at each passing fiasco. This is what the nation voted for. This is what the nation wanted. Burn down the Federal government. This is the end game of Reagan's declaration that government is not the solution, government is the problem. We are on the path to oligarchic mercantilism.
307
Doug, Ya gotta remember. We the people didn't vote for this, by a margin of about 3,000,000.
10
This isn't what the nation--the majority of Americans voted for, or wanted. Trump is a minority president who only gained office due to a couple of hundreds votes caste by an archaic E.C. process. The E.C. results were cooked before the election due to the GOP's systematic efforts: They gained state houses, gerrymandered districts, and perfected their campaign to disenfranchise millions of voters from voting. A cause that succeeded. Link to just one state example:
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/10/voter-suppression-may-have-...
6
"oligarchic mercantilism"
In 1933 that was called National Socialism, and it installed a "president for life."
1
Good riddance, even though his replacement will be worse. Exxon spent at least $30 million funding global warming denial. Rex belongs in prison for public endangerment.
1
The State Department is a vital part of American soft power. People at State often risk their lives to ensure our soldiers don't have to risk theirs. We didn't have a standing army before World War Two, but we have had a permanent State Department since the Constitution was adopted.
Rex Tillerson's drive to cut the number of people working at State was a direct threat to American soft power, and he was directed to do that by Donald Trump. His unwillingness to engage directly with subordinates at State was not at the directive of Donald Trump; that was his own management style, and it is an especially poor one in an office that is all about effective communication.
I am concerned about the long-term impact on our diplomatic efforts. A weakened, dispirited and less effective diplomatic corps should never have been a priority of anybody in leadership. An ounce of diplomacy is frequently worth considerably more than a ton of war--and it costs a lot less, too.
5
I’m not so sure that Mike Pompeo has the diplomatic qualifications to be a good Secretary of State, but he certainly has his work cut out for him. And Loyalty without qualifications usually leads to a bad outcome.
2
It would have been far better for Rex Tillerson, if he had continued at Exxon Mobil and stayed there through retirement. I am sure, today, he looks at it on hindsight.
Selecting Mr. Tillerson as Sec. of State was a miscalculation and a misunderstanding. Simply because, he had relationships around the world, does not make him a fit for the job. The State Department is different and complicated.
As a former CEO, Mr. Tillerson had to his credit strong business management skills. However, those skills were not applicable at the State Department. Because, the environment is different. In his former position, Mr. Tillerson, would only report to the company's Board and shareholders. As Sec. of State, Mr. Tillerson, had to report to another CEO> Most of the time, he had to be a "YES" man. Whether Tillerson, liked it or not, that is what it takes to be a political appointee. This is all politics, and we all see this on the daily TV.
Mr. Tillerson has learnt his lesson the hard way, and has a message to all other CEOs in the private sector - continue to be where you are. Politics is not for you.
3
State's impact within the US executive branch has been steadily dropping, at least since I went to work for USAID in 1963. In those days (Korean war)it was mainly a shift towards the military. Even the few possible exceptions, e.g. when Henry the K was the Secretary, were not really exceptions because Henry didn't rely on the Foreign Service et. al. experts at all.
There's something fundamentally out of whack in this. Trump is only continuing a long-lasting trend. One might think that having people who, among them, have excellent contacts, understand the history and the current situation, in most every country on earth would be a useful resource for high-level decision-making in the White House. But it just ain't so. Obviously the sea-change in communications technology has diminished the role of diplomats; that's a mixed blessing imho, but an efficient executive branch would look more deeply and restructure (not just downsize!) the whole function.
2
"State's impact within the US executive branch has been steadily dropping, at least since I went to work for USAID in 1963. In those days (Korean war)it was mainly a shift towards the military."
There's something wrong with this statement. The Korean was ended in a stalemate in 1953. USAID started in 1961. The Vietnam War had not heated up yet. So I'm suspicious of this comment.
Also the defense of downsizing the State Department seems a little strange. In person is the best way to practice diplomacy.
2
Tea Leoni, please.
9
From the outside looking in, it appears Trump chose Tillerson because of his close ties to Putin which Trump hoped would encourage Putin to allow Trump to proceed with the Moscow Tower and mitigate whatever it is Putin has on Trump. Tillerson took the job in hopes sanctions could be lifted so Exxon could partner with Putin to drill in the Arctic. Both highly unsavory reasons for heads of state.
328
From the inside looking out it 'looks like you don't tug on Superman's cape. And you don't pull the mask off of the old Lone Ranger. And you don't mess around with' Vlad.
There were pretty savory reasons for the Russian head of state to prefer Donald and Rex.
3
I bet he chose him to re-engineer state and for his contacts around the world especially in the Middle East. Not Putin!!! But as with yours that is just my opinion, basically worthless.
I suspect Tillerson was history the day he refused to deny that he called Trump a moron. The way Trump fired him was just payback. Petty and foolish, but those are mild terms compared to so many others that can be used to describe the vile person who occupies our highest office.
49
I share Roger Cohen's sensationally faint praise for Rex Tillerson. Any high government official who recognizes that Trump really is a "moron," and works to preserve the Iran deal, stands out as a beacon of light and truth in Trump's cabinet of losers.
Cohen has grown, it seems. Not so long ago he was an enthusiastic supporter of Bush's invasion of Iraq, It's reassuring to know that with regard to making war on Iran, he seems able to view that dire possibility from an American point of view.
I might even start reading him regularly again.
5
Tillerson had what is traditionally the second most important position in the executive branch, and he used it to dismember America's diplomatic capacity, and thus destroy its ability to project soft-power world-wide. As such, he was Putin's handmaiden. He was a horror. Heap curses on his grave.
178
Peter is correct about Tillerson. However, Tillerson was fired because he was not bad enough, and he will be replaced by worse.
5
It's not even Nazi America. It's far worse. It's a complete contempt for all authority. As one person stated: I feel like I'm trapped in an emotionally abusive relationship. Seriously, I do. This is what it must feel like. It is something I have never experienced before and I'm not inclined to let it continue, but in this case... there's nothing I can do. I feel helpless. I feel I'm being abused - we all are - by this emotionally abusive person from who we cannot escape. It's weird. I hate it. I'd like to read the news without seeing the name Trump or reading a tweet smeared with vitriol and hatred for a significant percentage of the citizenry he ostensibly should represent...
74
I have given monies to every Democrat is these special elections from Georgia, to Alabama, to PA18, and now to AZ! We must fight Trump everywhere in this once-great nation to stop its demise under the worst president in American history!
2
Surely when a man of Tillerson's accomplishments took the job as Secretary of State he knew he would be working at the "pleasure of the President." He also knew or should have known what the President's foreign policy agenda was. It should not have taken a year for him to discover that he was working for a man who was ill prepared, ill informed and ill tempered to be President of the United States of America. One can sympathize with him for the way he was fired, but where was he when he allowed his boss to hollow out the State Department with draconian budget cuts? Where was he when the President walked away from the Paris Accord or threatened to blow up the Iran Agreement or referred to North Korea's leader as Rocket Man or threatened to obliterate North Korea in an address to the United Nations? Resigning in protest would have been better for his image, his integrity, his self-respect and most importantly for the health of the Nation. Sorry Rex, no sympathy here.
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Well all those ills are exactly why the president got elected over that well prepared in traditional failed ways of doing things. Being great at failure is not being great, see Hillary for example.
Maybe he took and endured the job out of patriotism, putting country before his own image.
No one, including Trump knew/knows what his foreign policy agenda is/was.
2
This piece concludes with a quote from the former U.S. ambassador to Tunisia: "The fundamental problem here is not who's in the job It's that the president does not really value what the State Department does."
I think the problem is bigger: Trump does not really value what any department (other than the military) of the U.S. government does, nor Congress, the judicial system, etc.
If it doesn't serve him personally, it serves no value to him - who cares about the country.
36
Trump is removing "bureaucratic bloat" by hiring people to destroy the government, no well considered reduction just a hatchet. No praise there. The only praise for Tillerson is that he wasn't hawkish enough to start the nuclear war that Trump so desperately wants as a pretext to his assumption of the dictatorship.
If Trump shreds the Iran nuclear deal, what message would that send to Kim Jong-un, with who Trump is trying to fashion a nuclear deal?
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Not if. When. And how vigorously. I suppose Trump could renounce the agreement, then do nothing.
1
When looking back at the wreckage of the regime, I'll wager that many of us will miss, and admire Rex. And to be publicly fired by Tweet, that's impressive. Spill your guts, Sir. What have you got to lose ?????
5
Trump has just announced to the world that when meeting with foreign leaders he makes things up, and he does so out of ignorance and arrogance. I'm sure Kim Jong Un is now totally aware of what he will find and hear if he and Trump ever do actually come face to face. Would any intelligent person ever make an honest deal with this man? More likely it will be a match of who can make up the most stuff and lie with the straightest face! Some deal.
9
Not much difference between Trump's executive appointments and those seat covers in public restrooms: Thin to begin with and flush easily . . .
4
Rex Tillerson, like all people who serve this president, checked his integrity at the door when he signed on as SOS. Tillerson had no background in diplomacy but that didn’t matter to the 45th. Tillerson’s departure shows that this president selects people to fill vital government posts by gut feeling or instincts, which shows why so many aides have left the White House and the administration in a stampede.
It’s a shame that Congressional Republicans and millions of Americans are not offended by the president’s “dishonesty and vainglory”. And it’s no mystery as to why the president allowed Tillerson to twist in the wind all these months when it was plain that he was on thin ice. Will the incompetent Jeff Sessions also suffer Tillerson’s fate?
Tillerson was fired the same way James Comey was sacked, out of town at a speaking engagement. And the president was furious that Comey returned to Washington on a plane, irate that he wasn’t ignominiously left behind in California to further humiliate the former FBI director.
This president’s cruelty has no bottom. And Tillerson should feel blessed that he is free of the burden of his boss and his office. If only the American people could be free of him as well.
528
So you think that say making deals around the world is not diplomacy? And he was chosen to re-engineer state more than anything else. He has somewhat succeeded, I hope the next guy continues this effort.
it is a disgrace of how his dismissal was handled by the president in a tweet-i think america will miss Rex when they look at who is coming up the pike. He at least was not a yes man to trump and had moral integrity
1
Thank you for calling Trump's behavior what it is: sadistic. Describing him as a lover of chaos is much too benign. You have hit the nail on the head.
6
In 2014 I was in Jerusalem and I met three career foreign service officers, each of whom told me how proud they were to represent the integrity of the United States abroad, having traveled to many intrepid places, (not all nice places like Israel). The foreign service exam is the hardest to pass and the cadre of professionals is of the highest caliber. This type of person will quickly return to form as soon as their titular leader in the WH is out of office, but not until then.
2
Hills never got the message that a mass movement was on the march or she would have addressed the anger more forcefully. Forget the past though. Someone in a position to pull the levers needs to get the message now and soon because the essence of mass movements is to destroy everything in their path and you are seeing it in real time.
1
You do disservice to Tillerson. He did the best that he could with the cards he was dealt. Regrettably, he did not have the winning hand, but he played the game as best he could.
State Department employees didn't have to like him; given that the department's budget was cut by 30%, no one was going to miraculously preserve the status quo. As a former corporate CEO, he had a job to do, and it was not to give pep talks to the troops or justify Trump's irrationality to them.
He remained an Eagle Scout through and through. He was doing his duty to the country, he was mentally awake and morally straight. It is hard to make that observation about Trump or any of his sycophants.
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I have to agree with you. I thought he made an effort, although he seemed thwarted at every turn by this president. He was told to cut the budget--and hence, staff--by 30 percent, not fill crucial positions, and, as was the "message from the people," to run it like a business. Then it seemed something happened: Tillerson discovered that the State Department wasn't like a business, that it was something else, and he was indeed working for a moron, and his efforts to learn a job he was unqualified for were all for naught. He divested himself of Exxon. He lost a great deal of his retirement so that he could join the government. That still doesn't make him qualified for the job. But it shows a level of commitment that I don't see in any--make that ANY--other Trump appointees. He was a terrible Secretary of State, the worst in my 70 years of life on this earth. He made an effort; he failed. Look at under whose aegis he failed. His farewell speech said it all.
7
The problem with former heads of corporations running a country is they tend to treat the country as their own private domain with minions to do their bidding. Rex Tillerson's problem is he forgot that his job too is to serve the country and "defend the Constitution, to bear true faith and allegiance to the same" rather than be a personal henchman for Donald Trump. Tillerson discarded all principles and integrity he had when he agreed to join the Trump circus.
4
Robbb,
The problem with Rex?
He was playing Go Fish while Trump was playing poker.
The Deuce was wild Rex !
Of course, Mueller is playing chess, while Trumpski is playing checkers.
Rex will have the last laugh.
3
We are in a sad state of affairs when an incompetent plutocrat seems heroic compared to the POTUS.
The shame is that much of The Donald's 37% voter for a "business man" who could get things done.
Well, both Rex and The Donald were "business men" who accumulated considerable personal wealth.
Both have shown that the skills necessary to take money from others are not the same as stewarding a Nation.
When the final chapters are written on this dark portion of America's flirtation with fascism, it will be interesting to see how much our governing "business men" took from our National Treasury while running our ship of state onto the rocks.
2
Yes, Cohen hit the nail on the head. Tillerson was given the chance to fulfill a dream to serve his country at a high level and Trump took his knees out at almost every occasion. I felt sad for Tillerson, because he believed in the institution and Trump clearly does not. Will be interesting to see if Tillerson now uses his connections and has enough anger and energy remaining to pursue some type of revenge. Remember, he did lead one of the largest oil companies on the planet.
2
This is the first time I've seen "sadism" added to the array of bad traits many find in our president. Thank you, Mr. Cohen, because this alerts us to what makes Trump so frightening. We can all see where he and his loyalists will go if he manages to achieve unchecked power. We've seen this movie before.
11
No sympathy for Tillerson needs to be given. He gutted the State Dept. and was woefully unqualified for his job. As for his firing, there was no script handed to trump from a T.V. Producer, to effect a bold firing. Instead, trump’s maliciousness and meanness was allowed to reveal itself in all its glory.
332
What ..'maliciousness and meanness was allowed...'?
His name is Rex. Not Regina. He still has his head, his money and his liberty.
1
To your points, at minimum Mr. Tillerson should have realized that the greater mission, effectiveness, and cohesiveness of the State Department doesn't and shouldn't depend on its most visible figurehead.
Highly qualified to do one thing that the president was elected to do. Improve operations and say drain the swamp. Not so much in just supporting policies that you might not agree with but were official policies of the president.
Here is a common thread. Tillerson and Trump brought totally irrelevant business experience into jobs which they are totally unqualified to assume. Trump came from self-promo reality TV. Tillerson from an exclusive and insular globalized conglomeration. Big failure in both accounts, but the bigger fail goes to Trump.
So, at least we can theory that you should have businessMEN running (er, ruining) the country like the business from which they came.
In short, we need civic-minded leaders to run the government.
6
I’m a little surprised that there has not yet developed a strong voice to stop Trump from talking with North Korea. Trump is entirely unfit to represent the interests of the United States and he’s a danger to the world. He will be played like a violin by Kim Jong Un.
6
Let’s remember that this man was the CEO of Exxon. Not a ringing endorsement at the outset for some of us.
It never appeared that he was a wiiling participant in the ritual stroking of the needy first ego. He himsellf probably possesses a rather inflated one.
He said he took the position at his wife’s urging when he really was ready to retire and live quietly. Ambition can be a brutal master.
The way he was replaced is disgraceful, to use a word the replacer in chief often uses. But in the end, perhaps he will realize he is better off out of it.
He will never have to worry about money.
I will reserve my sympathy for those most affected by Trump’s destructive policies, the most vulnerable among us particularly.
2
It is my understanding that Tillerson was recommended for this position by Condeleeza Rice and Robert Gates. What did they see that made them think he was right for this position?
9
In addition to Tillerson’s executive history (apparently being undone at Exxon for failing at big risky bets) Trump might have admired the fact that in spite of a thirty year old persuasive report by Exxon on the imminent dangers of climate change Tillerson created a pseudonymous blog decrying climate change science as bogus — an alternate reality under a fake name that therefore Trump could comfortably relate to. When asked by Congress to explain the discrepancy between the reality of climate change and the unreality of climate change denial Rex replied “I’m an oil man.” Yes. And Trump would have understood Tillerson’s famous rule that no one at State was allowed to look at his face if he passed or on any account attempt to meet his gaze. Trump likes big venues with a swamp of faces because his audience remains one of cyphers rather than people, a roomful of suckers born to be ruined. Eye to eye Trump reportedly looks left or right and down or up depending on truth or lie. These men were very compatible psychologically in fact though the devil paints the pimples and between Trump and Tillerson the world of difference was Tillerson’s long view of deal making and Trump’s impetuous mindless hip shooting. It isn’t that Rex was reasonable or a voice of reason but that he practiced his form of madness with greater aplomb.
9
With all due respect to the former Sec. of State and to all the other former ‘best & brightest’ that agreed to work for Trump: when you lay down with a dog you get up with fleas.
478
Probably the most accurate characterization of the Man, destined to be his historical marker.
5
Mr. Tillerson can still serve America. As fellow columnist Michelle Goldberg writes, "If these people see the administration as unequipped to handle an emergency, they owe the country a firsthand account of our vulnerability....if there’s one person who has no excuse for not speaking out, it’s Tillerson, once one of the most powerful private citizens in America, now humbled and defiled by his time in Trump’s orbit."
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/16/opinion/burn-it-down-rex.html?
8
And in the case of Trump, the dog you lay down with is rabid and the fleas carry a nasty skin rash and possibly the plague.
3
Yes, exactly my thoughts on Rex Tillerson - his only claim to being favorably remembered is the way he exited from his dabbling in government service.
What is, however, even more frightening, is that, by now knowing everything about Trump and his complete and utter ignorance about foreign affairs and diplomacy, his complete lack of intelligence and human dignity, someone would ever agree to serve as his Secretary of State again (or any other Cabinet head, for that matter). What does that tell us about the complete lack of character and integrity of Pompeo? He either agrees with Trump's idiotic foreign policy ideas, or is ignorant enough to believe the he can "control" Trump.
41
While I agree fully with your sentiments, my admiration of your columns goes further. You are a fine craftman, something that is too often missing in these august pages. While there is a time and place for many different styles of writing, in the news columns as well as on the opinion pages, not often enough do we see elegance. Yours is a fresh breeze.
As a long time print reader, the occasional reminder to the masthead is necessary that we read not only for the information but for the enjoyment of a well turned phrase or elegantly stated opinion. That such great writing is often on deadline adds to its heft as being worthy of deep consideration.
151
Unless Tillerson and others who know the ugly truth about Trump’s incompetence and dangerous narcissism speak up, our future is in dire jeopardy. I keep waiting for one patriot, other than Robert Mueller, to stand up for our Constitution, the rule of law, and sanity.
406
There are many, but you are right; not enough. Congressman Adam Schiff comes immediately to mind.
8
Former FBI Agent McCabe told the truth and look what it got him. I propose a full backlash from all Americans to support people who put their lives on the line in standing up to Trump.
3
I once broke up with someone by email, too cowardly to even pick up the phone. To this day I am ashamed of myself. Does Mr Trump ever feel shame about anything he does or has ever done? Inexcusable behavior by an unconscionable actor, every day and in every way. A desperately unhappy man stomping, stomping, stomping.
86
Trump does not care about anyone. Ever. The 46% turnover reveals his idea of leadership. Either bow or leave. Sarah is his mouth piece. Kellyann is his conscience. America is in big trouble.
9
I suspect Trump thought he was getting some kind of Russian connection when he hired Tillerson. After all, Exxon Mobil was at the table with their Russian counterpart. As we know, the cabinet positions were filled from a Koch donor network wishlist, presented to Trump by their waterboy, Pence while another waterboy, Ryan, smiled his blessings.
The Koch network might want to rethink their goals. Do they want absolute control and chance triggering a revolution or can they settle for three-quarters of the loaf? From what I read about Charles Koch, nothing less than 110% will please him and nothing at all will satiate him. He is Trump with better manners.
How long before the plutocrats realize they have chosen to lie down with a gigantic, smelly, junkyard dog who rolls in waste? They will never escape the smell. But these men break everything they touch as well, so maybe it will be lost on them.
132
The Kochs would never stop at three-quarters of a loaf - or 99.9999% of a loaf. They would eat all the bread, corner the wheat supply, and kick an orphan who tried to lick THEIR crumbs off the ground.
The idea of restraint is completely antithetical to what these people are. If they were the kind of people who understood “enough” we wouldn’t have to worry about them - they would already have stopped decades ago.
4
Charles Koch is reported to have said “ I just want my share and my share is all of it.”
1
Despite Cohen's scintilla of admiration for Tillinger, the title of the article implies the full aphorism: "Damning with faint praise."
One might also add, of the Tillinger and Trump camps, "A plague on both their houses."
25
Stop making a martyr of the incompetent tillerson. He single handedly started the destruction of the state department, and had nothing good to show for the time he spent in DC. As for his character, ask him about exxon's successful bribing operations under his executive leadership. Good riddance!
99
Tillerson didn’t acquiesce to cuts at the state department...he quickly and expediently executed them as all corporate leaders do these days. Exxon could manage at $10 barrel oil...how do you the no they did that...cutting headcount is the answer to everything. As we will learn in the years to come...replacing experienced diplomats and foreign service workers is harder than engineers. That is not an accident, it was the plan.
53
@Deirdre-- as an engineer myself, I have to agree with you. Engineers are better with experience, but even fresh young (cheaper) faces can contribute as long as you keep enough experienced people. State Department? It seems to me that experience is everything.
Having worked in a large engineering company myself, I can tell you there's always 'deadwood.' But, I found that even the 'deadwood' had value because they'd 'been around.' A good new boss would ease them out, diminish the bloat over time, not come in with both barrels blazing and cutting down even the productive folks. That's where I disagreed with Tillerson's approach from the start. What does it do to morale in an organization when the new boss makes it clear he would love to fire everyone if he could? Not good things, I can assure you.
So, I don't think it's just that Trump doesn't value what the State Department does that was the problem. I don't think Tillerson did either. I listened to his exit speech. Nice performance. He's a guy who learned early on how to talk himself up and never burn bridges. He talked about the great job State has done while somehow making it clear that without him none of it would have happened. And, he knows how to quietly insult people simply by not mentioning them at all.
So, now we go from bad to worse with Mr. Pompeo of what I call the 'Benghazi Conspiracy Movement.' Yes, it seems we have even farther to fall.
8
it's time to subpoena Tillerson and get the intel.
4
And the replacements will all be wearing military camouflage.
7
I stand ready to praise Tillerson. As soon as he steps up to a microphone or word processor and tells his whole truth my praise will be more than faint. Until then he is just another one who chose to lie down with dogs and got fleas.
262
Doesn't firing people this way guarantee stories in the future with them as sources? W/e
15
Tillerson is an excellent example of the Trump executive branch. Successful and rich but wildly unqualified and unprepared for his government job, he thrashed about causing damage in his new role. He clung to his job which gave him the kind of power, prestige and visibility few can have. He exemplifies the idea that propelled his boss into office, that anyone can operate a government, that training and experience in other roles will better serve the nation. People like Tillerson Devoss, Carson, and Trump make it clear these people have no idea what they are doing, are too “successful” in their other life to take advice and are dangerous to the nation’s future. It is like giving the keys of the school bus to an eight-year-old. It is just a matter of time and a question of luck until something unhappy will occur.
175
"Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus"
1
The disrespectful way Tillerson was fired told the world as much about what djt thinks of our Democracy's government and institutions, as it did about the djt/Tillerson relationship.
Agent Orange from KAOS was basically disrespecting the position and function of Sec. of State, same as he degrades the position and function of Attorney General as he berates Jeff Sessions, same as he degrades and disrespects the other functions of our government when requiring public fealty and kowtowing in the Cabinet Room.
Tillerson was merely the most convenient candidate for that day's Trumpigula reality episode:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/12/opinion/mr-president-your-toga-is-sho...
66
First of all, Tillerson, utterly lacking in relevant experience, should never have been named SOS and, if he were as smart as advertised, would never have accepted. Both he and Trump will look back on their decisions to grab for the gold ring as the single biggest mistakes of their careers. That is, if one can call what Trump has going a career. That said, when we empower a president who operates strictly on the basis of a zero-sum mentality, diplomacy, the ultimate non-zero endeavor, does not enter the equation. Pompeo is another zero guy, intended to assist in the smash and grab. We're headed for a disaster, you can feel it.
213
And the longer things go on as they are the worse it's going to be.
2