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How Rex Tillerson Turned The State Department Into a Ghost Ship

countryboy said:
No, they should grow a spine and quit allowing Marxist pieces of **** to obstruct.
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Maybe it's the Leninist the WH has advising that has taken out the GOP's spine.

Back in my day, the GOP was pretty virulently anti-communist, anti-Lenin, and anti-Ruskie.
But, today, the GOP is pro-Ruskie, pro-Leninism, and probably pro-commie somehow as well.

Today's version of conservatism looks a lot like yesterday's version of anti-American pinkos.

The Circle of Life I suppose.
 
ataraxia said:
Why? What has Tillerson done?
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Tillerson was a self-made man who went on to lead one of the countries largest companies.
Thank goodness he accepted we might have had to deal with Mittens in that post.
Instead of a well earned retirement his country called & he honored that call. On the ,job for only 4 months
Tillerson's powerful strong voice adds to the command presence needed in this most important cabinet post .
He's the cream of a strong presidential cabinet.

Kerry was a big nothing as Sec. of State, to give him some credit he was slightly better than Obama's first
Sec. of State, as he didn't screw things up like her but that's not saying much. Obama sure could pick them
 
Simon W. Moon said:
Maybe it's the Leninist the WH has advising that has taken out the GOP's spine.

Back in my day, the GOP was pretty virulently anti-communist, anti-Lenin, and anti-Ruskie.
But, today, the GOP is pro-Ruskie, pro-Leninism, and probably pro-commie somehow as well.

Today's version of conservatism looks a lot like yesterday's version of anti-American pinkos.

The Circle of Life I suppose.
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well, with every passing day it is looking like Don Cheeto may be a Russian 'commie' whore .............
 
cuban smokes said:
How Rex Tillerson Turned The State Department Into a Ghost Ship

By Bob Dreyfuss - 5 hours ago

Rex Tillerson Turned the State Department Into a Ghost Ship - Rolling Stone


When Donald Trump tapped Rex Tillerson, then CEO of ExxonMobil, to serve as secretary of state, expectations weren't high. With zero experience in government or diplomacy, Tillerson got the job after winning the support of Steve Bannon, the iconoclastic former Breitbart News chief, and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law. From the start, he was widely panned for his close ties to the Russian oil industry, including one deal worth a reported $500 billion, and questions were raised about Tillerson's lack of familiarity about tensions with North Korea, the war in Afghanistan, the battle against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, or the Arab-Israeli problem.

Perhaps, then, Tillerson would find smart people to help him along? Well, no. Six months after taking office, Tillerson's State Department is populated by ghosts, with office after office empty, top positions unfilled, key ambassadorships unnamed. Under Tillerson's uncertain leadership, America's diplomatic expertise – its ability to bring experience to bear on knotty international problems, its facility for reconciling warring parties and conflicts from the Middle East to Asia – has been decimated. And that has given the upper hand to the Pentagon. Whereas Trump and Tillerson have announced plans to cut the budget of the State Department by one-third, the White House is seeking a bump of $54 billion for the Department of Defense.

"The militarization of everything is kind of taking place," Max Bergmann, a former senior State Department official under President Obama, tells Rolling Stone.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, Trump is preparing America for ENDLESS WARS :doh

'Make America Go To War & Kill Off Our Troops Again' :eek:uch:
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First I want to be honest and admit that I haven't...and won't...read the article. The part you quoted gives me enough of a sense of the biased, spinning blather the whole thing must contain.

Moving on...

1. "...expectations weren't high." Who's expectations? The left's? The GOP Elite's? I'm not concerned.

2. "With zero experience in government or diplomacy," Not true. He has extensive experience dealing with governments around the world, which requires great diplomatic skill. Now...what he DIDN'T have is a establishment, globalist political mindset. This is actually a good thing when the aim is to use trade as a diplomatic tool and to actually make deals that benefit America instead of hurting America.

3. "...widely panned for his close ties to the Russian oil industry," Yes...and he made a lot of money at it. Transferring those ties to helping the US instead of Exxon is a good thing. Also, who panned him? The swamp? Yep.

4. "...lack of familiarity...blah, blah, blah" He's a quick learner.

Now...this "ghost ship" thing. Tillerson...and Trump...were very clear that the State Department was bloated from the very beginning and that they aimed to downsize. They have. Of course, the Congressional Elites don't like that much and, even though Trump asked for a substantial cut in the State Department budget, the House committee opted for a much smaller cut. Seems they want the State Department to spend as much money as they can. Tillerson, on the other hand, believes he doesn't NEED that bloated State Department.

So far, he's been doing pretty good without all those swamp creatures around.

btw, the Clinton and Kerry State Departments was the nerve center of the Deep State. Shutting down a lot of the State Department has caused that Deep State to take a big hit. More draining the swamp. That's a good thing.
 
Simon W. Moon said:
It's possible that there're some facts you do not have.
[...not that anyone should ever let that keep them from forming and voicing political opinions—I know I don't let it stop me. ; )]

from the article in the OP, Trump and Tillerson haven't nominated people to go before the Senate


"According to a tracker compiled by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, Trump and Tillerson have yet to nominate candidates to fill more than 83 senior-level positions and ambassadorships, and that's only a partial count. At the level of assistant secretary – the folks who actually manage day-to-day diplomacy – out of 22 positions, only two people have been nominated, and one confirmed. Empty offices include assistant secretaries for Near Eastern affairs, South Asian affairs, European and Eurasian affairs, Western Hemisphere affairs, East Asian and Pacific affairs, African affairs, political-military affairs, arms control, population, migration and refugees, democracy, human rights, labor and many more.

...in Libya in 2012, ...Benghazi...attacked...American ambassador killed, there's no assistant secretary for diplomatic security [in Benghazi]"​

Benghazi?
That sounds vaguely familiar.
What difference does it make?
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From the sound of things its too bad that leftwingers are diverting the public attention to fake news about russia and demands for impeachment when they have real complaints that might actually stick to trump

As it is liberals have declared war on trump and pro trumpsters are digging trenches and foxholes even as we speak
 
Mycroft said:
First I want to be honest and admit that I haven't...and won't...read the article. The part you quoted gives me enough of a sense of the biased, spinning blather the whole thing must contain.

Moving on...

1. "...expectations weren't high." Who's expectations? The left's? The GOP Elite's? I'm not concerned.

2. "With zero experience in government or diplomacy," Not true. He has extensive experience dealing with governments around the world, which requires great diplomatic skill. Now...what he DIDN'T have is a establishment, globalist political mindset. This is actually a good thing when the aim is to use trade as a diplomatic tool and to actually make deals that benefit America instead of hurting America.

3. "...widely panned for his close ties to the Russian oil industry," Yes...and he made a lot of money at it. Transferring those ties to helping the US instead of Exxon is a good thing. Also, who panned him? The swamp? Yep.

4. "...lack of familiarity...blah, blah, blah" He's a quick learner.

Now...this "ghost ship" thing. Tillerson...and Trump...were very clear that the State Department was bloated from the very beginning and that they aimed to downsize. They have. Of course, the Congressional Elites don't like that much and, even though Trump asked for a substantial cut in the State Department budget, the House committee opted for a much smaller cut. Seems they want the State Department to spend as much money as they can. Tillerson, on the other hand, believes he doesn't NEED that bloated State Department.

So far, he's been doing pretty good without all those swamp creatures around.

btw, the Clinton and Kerry State Departments was the nerve center of the Deep State. Shutting down a lot of the State Department has caused that Deep State to take a big hit. More draining the swamp. That's a good thing.
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If you are such a fan of the real potential for belligerence & war, you really didn't need to waste so many words but we appreciate your over the top efforts :lol:
 
Simon W. Moon said:
Well, were discussing the information contained in the article linked in the OP.
That article, as well as more than one post in this thread have mentioned the dearth of people in the State Department positions.
My comments that you are replying to reference the details which have been provided in this thread.
So the information is here in this thread if you would actually like to know.

Does that count as me letting you know?
I can link to specific posts in this thread if that will help any.
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Members who post here are, in large part, partisan hacks. They are Bolsheviks who can not be trusted.

NOBODY, and I repeat Nobody here at DP knows anything about what is going on in National Security matters currently being conducted by the Trump administration. You want to know why? Because they don't "Have The Need To Know."

Only harmless children trust magazines like "Rolling Stone." Think back to the rape charge at UVA. Rolling Stone couldn't wipe Rex Tillerson's ass. They are liars, just like all the other "news" sources these Bolsheviks cite.

Take a deep breath. You don't need to do anything thing until your Platoon Leader say, "Follow Me!"
 
poweRob said:
This is one of the big ones on Russia's wish list.

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from viewing that video it is obvious that Trump, Tillerson, and company are interested in NOTHING MORE than making WAR WITH THE PLANET ...............


THIS is, just as I suspected before the election, Trump desiring to be the ONE to be written into history as the ONE that presided over the mass destruction of the planet; thanks Bannon ...............
 
cuban smokes said:
from the several articles I have read, and don't know if they are correct but if they are, the appointments for nomination have yet to be requisitioned ...........

that would seem to be a failure of the Trump administration, more than anything else

of course, Trump knows NOTHING of government operation so, this does seem plausible, even a given

just more **** sandwich Trump ................

pretty sure the old bastard just wants a big ole ass ****ing war so, he can 'Make America Great Again' :roll:
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That COULD be a reasonable complain that might interest some trump supporters

But not in the currect all-out war being waged against trump in hopes of driving him from office
 
cuban smokes said:
If you are such a fan of the real potential for belligerence & war, you really didn't need to waste so many words but we appreciate your over the top efforts :lol:
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What on earth makes you think I'm a fan of belligerence and war? Do you think a bloated State Department is the only thing preventing war? I don't. Heck, that bloated Clinton State Department started more wars than GWB did.
 
Mycroft said:
What on earth makes you think I'm a fan of belligerence and war? Do you think a bloated State Department is the only thing preventing war? I don't. Heck, that bloated Clinton State Department started more wars than GWB did.
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OMFGFFS ................ you have got to be ****ing kinding US, right? ............... OMFG ........................
 
Simon W. Moon said:
Maybe it's the Leninist the WH has advising that has taken out the GOP's spine.

Back in my day, the GOP was pretty virulently anti-communist, anti-Lenin, and anti-Ruskie.
But, today, the GOP is pro-Ruskie, pro-Leninism, and probably pro-commie somehow as well.

Today's version of conservatism looks a lot like yesterday's version of anti-American pinkos.

The Circle of Life I suppose.
Click to expand...

Whatever man, cling to your Russian fantasy if it helps get you through the day. It is dems who have always been communist sympathizers. Where were the cries of collusion when Chappaquiddick Teddy actually colluded with the leader of the Soviet Union to try and take down Reagan. You and your ilk don't have a leg to stand on.
 
Quazimodo said:
Members who post here are, in large part, partisan hacks. They are Bolsheviks who can not be trusted.
NOBODY, and I repeat Nobody here at DP knows anything about what is going on in National Security matters currently being conducted by the Trump administration. You want to know why? Because they don't "Have The Need To Know."
Only harmless children trust magazines like "Rolling Stone." Think back to the rape charge at UVA. Rolling Stone couldn't wipe Rex Tillerson's ass. They are liars, just like all the other "news" sources these Bolsheviks cite.
Take a deep breath. You don't need to do anything thing until your Platoon Leader say, "Follow Me!"
Click to expand...
I'm trying.
And I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt.
But there seem to be some fundamental barriers to communication.
I don't know what they are. But they seem to exist.

You seem to be implying that the average citizen cannot tell if the positions in the US State Department have been filled or not
That's literally what we're talking about, which jobs at State have been filled by the Trump team.
You seem to be saying that vacancies in ambassadorships is some sort of classified national security hoodoo.
Shirley, one or the other of us has misunderstood the other one.

Afacit, it's entirely a mundane matter to determine which vacancies have been filled at the State Department—a number of these are a matter of multiple very public records.
Ambassadors are necessarily public figures.
It's literally their job to represent the US publicly.

So, Shirley, you're not tryin' to tell me that whether or not we have someone fulfilling a public role is classified information which is released on a need to know basis.

Perhaps you're trying instead to argue that leaving all of these positions unfilled is all part of Trump's π³ dimensional chess game he's totally winning?
Am I warm?

And you're reminding me my place as an American voter.
You're letting me know that neither me nor my peers, my (our?) fellow Americans, have the wherewithal to question the wisdom of leaving these jobs vacant.
We lost our right to question the President's (lack of) staffing decisions when we were unable to attend national security briefings.
You advise that we, as Americans, should just shut up and await orders.

Shirley, I'm wrong.
While a case could be made for that being a correct textual interpretation of your post, Shirley, it'd be a ****ed-up thing for an American to think.
So I've probably misunderstood you further.

I'm trying.
And I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt.
But I may not be up to the task.
 
I have noticed that State Department leaks have stopped.
 
countryboy said:
Whatever man, cling to your Russian fantasy if it helps get you through the day. It is dems who have always been communist sympathizers. Where were the cries of collusion when Chappaquiddick Teddy actually colluded with the leader of the Soviet Union to try and take down Reagan. You and your ilk don't have a leg to stand on.
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The "conservative" president in the WH has an self-professed Leninist as an advisor.
Not that there's some paper the guy wrote in college thirty years ago that said some potentially praising communism.
Nope.
The guy currently calls himself a Leninist.

No wonder you'd rather talk about Ted Kennedy.
 
Simon W. Moon said:
I'm trying.
And I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt.
But there seem to be some fundamental barriers to communication.
I don't know what they are. But they seem to exist.

You seem to be implying that the average citizen cannot tell if the positions in the US State Department have been filled or not
That's literally what we're talking about, which jobs at State have been filled by the Trump team.
You seem to be saying that vacancies in ambassadorships is some sort of classified national security hoodoo.
Shirley, one or the other of us has misunderstood the other one.

Afacit, it's entirely a mundane matter to determine which vacancies have been filled at the State Department—a number of these are a matter of multiple very public records.
Ambassadors are necessarily public figures.
It's literally their job to represent the US publicly.

So, Shirley, you're not tryin' to tell me that whether or not we have someone fulfilling a public role is classified information which is released on a need to know basis.

Perhaps you're trying instead to argue that leaving all of these positions unfilled is all part of Trump's π³ dimensional chess game he's totally winning?
Am I warm?

And you're reminding me my place as an American voter.
You're letting me know that neither me nor my peers, my (our?) fellow Americans, have the wherewithal to question the wisdom of leaving these jobs vacant.
We lost our right to question the President's (lack of) staffing decisions when we were unable to attend national security briefings.
You advise that we, as Americans, should just shut up and await orders.

Shirley, I'm wrong.
While a case could be made for that being a correct textual interpretation of your post, Shirley, it'd be a ****ed-up thing for an American to think.
So I've probably misunderstood you further.

I'm trying.
And I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt.
But I may not be up to the task.
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DON'T CALL ME SHIRLEY! :)

Thank you for your post.

The premise of the OP is that the Trump Administration, its Dept. of State, and everybody who has ever uttered the name Trump is at the least a failure, and best, a threat to our nation.

That's Bolshevik bull****. The Bolsheviks here ply their trade by quoting useless stories from useless sources.

OK, YOU might not think the State Department is in perfect fighting trim. When's the last time YOU ran a State Dept.? When is the last time one of these ****rag magazines ever ran a State Dept.? They're proven liars, just like the NYT, WAPO, CNN, MSNBC, and every other ****rag that's currently trying to call itself the "news."

Were you this concerned with Obama's Czars?

From my perch, we are running a lean and mean machine. The Trump administration is meeting its objectives. The leftists, including all the little sissified snowflakes here at DP, are powerless, except to run their unwashed mouths.

Trust me, I get it. Half of the puds who post here don't even have jobs, but they sure are good at trying to destroy things they know absolutely nothing about. They can't build. All they know how to do is be destructive.

I don't want another Clinton state department. I don't want a bunch of shameless liars and scurrilous cowards like them.

Think about it this way: The Dept. of State has a job to do. It is doing its job. We can go to the grocery store and relax because while we are the store, REAL AMERICANS, like Mad Dog and a few of his cut buddies are taking care of business. The sissies here can't even change their own BVDs.
 
Harbo said:
This is almost entirely Trump's fault, as opposed to Tillerson's. Any other Secretary of State pick would be in the same boat now. Thanks to Trump going out of his way to insult every freaking demographic he can think of nobody who values their career is going anywhere near his Presidency, as I believe I've previously stated, particularly not when you can end up in Sean Spicer's position of having to defend sometimes insane actions. Tillerson himself is pretty damn competent (you don't get to be CEO of ExxonMobil otherwise).
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Tillerson is completely unprepared for diplomatic service in both experience and interest in the job. He will get even worse now that he has little chance of making his deal for Russian oil which was obviously the only reason he accepted the post. He's lazy or just disinterested in the protocol needed for the job and I bet he resigns before the year is out. BTW It would n't surprise me if Putin was the one that "suggested" Tillerson to Trump. He's a dream come true for the Russians and has already done serious damage to our image abroad.
 
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cuban smokes said:
well, my idea, and others would agree, is the State Dept. is in place for one major function & that is they serve as a diplomatic effort to avoid belligerence & war

If you like belligerence & war then you may agree with gutting the Sate Dept. but then that would seem to go along with the Trump demographic ...........
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Now there is jump in logic. I'm not sure the state dept. is being gutted but dieting could only make it more efficient.
 
For a guy who "everyone" says is unprepared for the job, he seems to be doing pretty good.

One of the things he's doing is trying to broker an agreement between the parties involved with the spat between the GCC and Qatar.

This was reported yesterday:

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said a dispute between a Saudi Arabian-led bloc and Qatar may last “quite a while” as the two sides still refuse to speak to each other directly and are no closer to resolving the key demands made after the crisis started.

Despite leaving the Middle East after four days of shuttle diplomacy without a breakthrough, Tillerson said progress was made. Potential ways forward in the dispute were weighed by both sides and there is a “changed sense of willingness to at least be open to talking to one another and that was not the case before I came,” Tillerson said Thursday evening while en route to Washington from the Gulf region.

Nevertheless, “the final and ultimate resolution may take quite a while,” Tillerson said. “But if we can begin to have some success beginning to take some of these issues off the table because we now have a way to move forward then I’m hoping that will start the process of returning, normalizing relations.”

Tillerson sought to tap his previous experience as Exxon Mobil Corp.’s CEO, where he frequently met and negotiated with Gulf leaders, to resolve the dispute sparked last month when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic and trade links with Qatar. The bloc accuses Qatar of supporting terrorism, meddling in their internal affairs and cozying up to their rival Iran -- all charges that Qatar has denied.

~

There was a modest victory for Tillerson’s efforts this week when the U.S. and Qatar signed a memorandum of understanding on July 11 laying out steps the two countries will take over the coming months and years to interrupt and disable terrorist financing flows. The Saudi bloc said that pact “isn’t enough” to resolve the crisis. They also said the accord came about thanks to years of pressure from the bloc, according to a joint statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency. And they vowed to maintain the recent measures against Qatar until their demands are met in full.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...ium=social&cmpid==socialflow-twitter-politics
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I wonder if Hillary or Kerry could have made this kind of progress...or if they even tried?
 
Rexedgar said:
Many have not been appointed. Hard to confirm what's not there......
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What with the establishment weanies undermining the president at every turn, you can blame him for being cautious.
 
apdst said:
What with the establishment weanies undermining the president at every turn, you can blame him for being cautious.
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Believe whatever makes you feel better........Administration doesn't lack for shovels......or willing diggers!
 
Harbo said:
This is almost entirely Trump's fault, as opposed to Tillerson's. Any other Secretary of State pick would be in the same boat now. Thanks to Trump going out of his way to insult every freaking demographic he can think of nobody who values their career is going anywhere near his Presidency, as I believe I've previously stated, particularly not when you can end up in Sean Spicer's position of having to defend sometimes insane actions. Tillerson himself is pretty damn competent (you don't get to be CEO of ExxonMobil otherwise).
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Certainly some element of truth in that statement!

On the other hand, considering the performance of the Department of State under Clinton and Kerry, our "diplomatic expertise" is highly questionable. IMO the State Department is simply an agency used to overthrow legitimately elected governments we don't like.
 
Quazimodo said:
The premise of the OP is that the Trump Administration, its Dept. of State, and everybody who has ever uttered the name Trump is at the least a failure, and best, a threat to our nation.
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See I read it differently.
I took it to be more constrained by the words it used.

Quazimodo said:
OK, YOU might not think the State Department is in perfect fighting trim. When's the last time YOU ran a State Dept.? When is the last time one of these ****rag magazines ever ran a State Dept.?
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So we're back to the thing where Americans are not fit to criticize their own govt again?
Only former US presidents are fit to criticize how a US president conducts the nation's business?
You're welcome to that opinion.
But I'm more of a free, democratic society kind of guy myself.

It seems reasonable to me that Americans should criticize poorly performing public servants.
ymmv, I guess?

Quazimodo said:
Were you this concerned with Obama's Czars?
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You'd rather talk about Obummer than the current ****-for-stains whose in the office.
That's fair and fine enough.
There's probably a thread for it somewhere.

Quazimodo said:
From my perch, we are running a lean and mean machine. The Trump administration is meeting its objectives.
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Yeah, but from your perch Americans should not criticize their govt.
So forgive me for not wanting to join you there in Authoritarianland.

Quazimodo said:
Think about it this way: The Dept. of State has a job to do. It is doing its job.
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The point of the article in the OP, to me anyway, was that the State Department was not able to do its job.
I know you read all this other stuff about Trump being a failure in the article.

But when I read the article, it seemed to be about how the State Department was unable to do its job because it's not staffed.

:shrug:
ymmv
 
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