Tillerson out, Pompeo to be new secretary of state

[homersapien 11,359]

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/13/trump-says-tillerson-out-as-secretary-of-state-458353

In sudden move, Tillerson out, Pompeo to be new secretary of state

A spokesman for Tillerson said he had not been planning to leave and wasn't sure why he was being ousted now.

 

......George Little, a former spokesman for the CIA and Pentagon, offered a dim assessment of what Pompeo could bring to the State Department as secretary.

“Pompeo failed to defend Agency officers against vicious attacks by the President, so State Department officials can unfortunately expect a continuing decline in morale and leadership,” Little said. “Pompeo spends so much time at the White House, more than any CIA Director in recent times, so maybe a narrow silver lining for State officials is that he'll continue to do so and avoid active management of the Department.”

Gina Haspel, who Trump said would replace Pompeo and who was named the CIA’s deputy director last year, is an agency veteran who in 2002 ran one of its detention sites in Thailand, where she oversaw the torture of two terrorism suspects, according to a New York Times report. Tapes of those interrogations, which included waterboarding and smashing one suspect’s head into a wall, were ordered destroyed in 2005, the Times reported.......

[alexava 6,973]

Did Putin approve this change?

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

Tillerson found out officially hours after Trump tweeted about it. I don't care what your politics are, that's disgraceful.

[NolaAuTiger 3,295]

7 minutes ago, Brad_ATX said:

Tillerson found out officially hours after Trump tweeted about it. I don't care what your politics are, that's disgraceful.

Cold, cold world out there in the streets.

[Strychnine 1,802]

14 minutes ago, Brad_ATX said:

Tillerson found out officially hours after Trump tweeted about it. I don't care what your politics are, that's disgraceful.

 

It is no longer shocking at this point.  Trump clearly demonstrated a lack of decorum in the primaries, when dealing with members of his own party.  While I am certainly no fan of Ted Cruz, he critiqued Trump quite accurately after he suggested his father may have been involved in the Kennedy assassination.  Trump is simply embarrassing.  He was embarrassing in the primaries, he was embarrassing during the election, and he has remained embarrassing as the President of the United States.  I rarely agree with the Republican Party these days, but I seriously doubt that Cruz, Kasich, or Rubio would have gone on to be embarrassing had they won.

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

Why was Tillerson fired? this makes sense to me.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2018/03/13/why-was-rex-tillerson-fired-think-north-korea.html

[AU64 10,122]

3 hours ago, Proud Tiger said:

Why was Tillerson fired? this makes sense to me.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2018/03/13/why-was-rex-tillerson-fired-think-north-korea.html

JMO but Iran was probably the major issue.....RT apparently vigorously objected  to DT"s views on the Iran deal.    But either way,  the Pres and Secy of State need to be on the same page with the important stuff and that was not happening.     

[SaltyTiger 7,782]

52 minutes ago, AU64 said:

JMO but Iran was probably the major issue.....RT apparently vigorously objected  to DT"s views on the Iran deal.    But either way,  the Pres and Secy of State need to be on the same page with the important stuff and that was not happening.     

Dead on 64. RT and President Trump never on the same page. Knew his days where numbered with the reported "effing moron". 

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

1 hour ago, AU64 said:

JMO but Iran was probably the major issue.....RT apparently vigorously objected  to DT"s views on the Iran deal.    But either way,  the Pres and Secy of State need to be on the same page with the important stuff and that was not happening.     

I legitimately have no problem if with this line of thinking for why he was fired.  It's how it was done that bothers me because it shows a lack of professional decorum on the part of POTUS.  Tillerson flat out said today that he found out from Trump after the tweet making the announcement.

[AU64 10,122]

2 minutes ago, Brad_ATX said:

legitimately have no problem if with this line of thinking for why he was fired.  It's how it was done that bothers me because it shows a lack of professional decorum on the part of POTUS.  Tillerson flat out said today that he found out from Trump after the tweet making the announcement.

Yep.....but I'm wondering if Trump asked him to resign and he said "no".......so that was the response.   Tillerson had openly opposed and /or defied DT for a while and this was inevitable.....and probably payback.....but childish and not necessary as you note. 

[alexava 6,973]

I hope Pompeo or what ever the hell his name is is playing poker with trump. People who truly share trumps “ line of thinking “ should be committed to mental institutions.  Not head of state department. 

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

1 hour ago, alexava said:

I hope Pompeo or what ever the hell his name is is playing poker with trump. People who truly share trumps “ line of thinking “ should be committed to mental institutions.  Not head of state department. 

Don't judge unless you are mentally perfect

[TitanTiger 20,472]

8 hours ago, NolaAuTiger said:

Cold, cold world out there in the streets.

Especially when your boss is a terrible human being.

[TitanTiger 20,472]

1 hour ago, AU64 said:

Yep.....but I'm wondering if Trump asked him to resign and he said "no".......so that was the response.   Tillerson had openly opposed and /or defied DT for a while and this was inevitable.....and probably payback.....but childish and not necessary as you note. 

I don't really wonder it.  I have no reason to give Trump the benefit of the doubt on things like this.  He hasn't bothered to show a bare minimum amount of professionalism and decorum so far, why would I think he tried to in this instance and only after being rebuffed decided to go full jackass?

[Strychnine 1,802]

11 hours ago, AU64 said:

JMO but Iran was probably the major issue.....RT apparently vigorously objected  to DT"s views on the Iran deal.    But either way,  the Pres and Secy of State need to be on the same page with the important stuff and that was not happening.     

 

Between the two of them, I suspect Tillerson was the one that actually bothered to understand the JCPOA in order to develop an informed opinion, rather than oppose it because Obama.  Trump is not known for his informed opinions or love of reading.

[NolaAuTiger 3,295]

8 hours ago, TitanTiger said:

Especially when your boss is a terrible human being.

Wrong. Former* boss .

Besides, we all know that Trump has offended your moral conscious and anyone who disagrees with you is wrong. No need to thrust the point again.

[AU64 10,122]

50 minutes ago, Strychnine said:

 

Between the two of them, I suspect Tillerson was the one that actually bothered to understand the JCPOA in order to develop an informed opinion, rather than oppose it because Obama.  Trump is not known for his informed opinions or love of reading.

 

Not like DT was the only one opposed to the deal.....it was sneaked through without a vote from Congress full of secret provisions after all.   JMO but if Tillerson could not support the foreign policy of his boss he should have resigned.   He was not the president and it is not up to the Secy of State to carry out his or her policies. .  Make his opinions known to the boss and then do what he is told to do...or leave.    Too many issues where he was doing his own foreign policy...but DT should  have fired him in a more dignified manner.....no doubt about that.

PS....but on the other hand,  Tillerson deliberately and publicly went against DT on a number of foreign policy issues....sometimes right after a DT statement on an issue....and guess DT had enough of it    

[TitanTiger 20,472]

33 minutes ago, NolaAuTiger said:

Wrong. Former* boss .

Besides, we all know that Trump has offended your moral conscious and anyone who disagrees with you is wrong. No need to thrust the point again.

This isn't about his various sexual escapades.  It's about being a professional and being a mature adult.  He is neither.  This episode only reinforces that.

[Strychnine 1,802]

12 minutes ago, AU64 said:

 

Not like DT was the only one opposed to the deal.....it was sneaked through without a vote from Congress full of secret provisions after all.   JMO but if Tillerson could not support the foreign policy of his boss he should have resigned.   He was not the president and it is not up to the Secy of State to carry out his or her policies. .  Make his opinions known to the boss and then do what he is told to do...or leave.    Too many issues where he was doing his own foreign policy...but DT should  have fired him in a more dignified manner.....no doubt about that.

PS....but on the other hand,  Tillerson deliberately and publicly went against DT on a number of foreign policy issues....sometimes right after a DT statement on an issue....and guess DT had enough of it    

 

If we were talking about something resembling a rational presidency, I would agree.  In this case, Tillerson's biggest problem was that he was trying to work with the intellect that spawned things like "Rocket Man" and "Lyin Ted".  I cannot imagine the nightmare that would be trying to deal with Trump about complex matters like diplomatic relations with allied, friendly, and hostile governments.  Without Tillerson doing his own foreign policy, it is likely there would not have been any, or it would have been poorly advised.  Tillerson would have probably made a good Secretary of State for a rational president like Reagan, either Bush, Clinton, or Obama.

Ultimately, I think Tillerson regarded Trump as the moron that he is and acted accordingly, hoping to curtail or prevent damage that could be done by the combination of Trump's inconsistency, ignorance, and tendency to act and speak rashly.  While I never thought I would find myself saying this about a former ExxonMobil CEO turn Secretary of State, I would dare call Tillerson a patriot.

[NolaAuTiger 3,295]

59 minutes ago, TitanTiger said:

This isn't about his various sexual escapades.  It's about being a professional and being a mature adult.  He is neither.  This episode only reinforces that.

Firing RT was unprofessional and immature, or the way he did it?

[TitanTiger 20,472]

1 minute ago, NolaAuTiger said:

Firing RT was unprofessional and immature, or the way he did it?

The way he did it.  He's perfectly within his rights as President to replace people in his administration as he sees fit.  But he doesn't have to be an obnoxious, immature dill hole in doing it.  He needs to shut up about Jeff Sessions and either keep him or replace him.  And Tillerson's firing never should have been announced on Twitter before talking to Tillerson directly first.

[NolaAuTiger 3,295]

9 minutes ago, TitanTiger said:

Well if it was a thread derailer, you should have DM'd me in the first place rather than starting it here.

I'm not that interested if it's not about the subject.  So we can just table it.

Yes. Explaining the expression "oh please" could've derailed. I'm sorry. I figured you intuitively understood what it meant. My apologies. 

[NolaAuTiger 3,295]

2 minutes ago, TitanTiger said:

The way he did it.  He's perfectly within his rights as President to replace people in his administration as he sees fit.  But he doesn't have to be an obnoxious, immature dill hole in doing it.  He needs to shut up about Jeff Sessions and either keep him or replace him.  And Tillerson's firing never should have been announced on Twitter before talking to Tillerson directly first.

The way he fired him was complete bull shite. There certainly are times where President Trump is very professional, IMO, and this was not one of them.

[AU64 10,122]

41 minutes ago, Strychnine said:

I would dare call Tillerson a patriot.

Can't disagree....but no reason that DT is not a patriot either if you want to define that as putting America first.    

As for Tillerson....this is the same guy all the dems were declaring was "too close to Putin"  at the time he was nominated for the job and now he's fired because Putin wanted him fired?     Looney left at it again

http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-rex-tillerson-vladimir-putin-russia-exxon-2016-12

.Some folks need to make up their minds and not just shape things to suit their pre-conceived views.  . 

[TitanTiger 20,472]

6 minutes ago, NolaAuTiger said:

The way he fired him was complete bull shite. There certainly are times where President Trump is very professional, IMO, and this was not one of them.

The thing about being professional is, it's what most would consider default for a man in his position.  The norm.  A given.  So even if there are times when he is professional, that's just him meeting the minimum expectations.  So when there are repeated instances of unprofessional and immature behavior, it overrides all the other times when he doesn't behave that way.