Do something useful for a change:
troll
Gaffney is a neo-con artist, don’t trust him.
Gaffney is a globalist neo-con war merchant. I have concerns about Tillerson, but seeing people like this oppose him gives me some comfort.
Trust me, doing business with someone doesn’t make you their friend or lapdog.
Tillerson is probably one of the 10 most qualified people in the country to be Secretary of State. He is infinitely more qualified than Hillary Clinton or John Kerry and both easily were approved by the Senate. He has successfully managed a large, complex global organization. These skills are essential for reorganizing and reforming the State Department bureaucracy. He has a global network of business and political connections. He knows how to negotiate good deals on a global basis with nations and corporations.
As to his Russian connections, Russia is the largest producer of oil in the world. Tillerson has been CEO of the largest US based multinational oil company. It is natural he would know Russian leaders and businessmen given that many of the oil deals with Russia are as much about politics as they are about business. Given that Russia has been an adversary of the US for almost a century, the knowledge of internal Russian politics and behavior of the players is invaluable for a Secretary of State. The fact Putin respects Tillerson does not mean Tillerson is a pushover for Putin or is aligned more with Russian interests than with American interests. On the contrary, Putin’s respect for Tillerson will make Secretary of State Tillerson a more credible negotiator than either Hillary or John Kerry.
We must also remember the global economy still runs on petroleum, and will continue to do so for at least the next two decades. Much of the diplomatic work of the State Department is related to securing reliable supplies of petroleum for western countries allied with the United States. Geopolitics center around oil supplies, hence the turmoil in the Middle East. Much of the Chinese military expansion in south east Asia (the island airstrips for example) are related to oil drilling in the future. Tillerson understands the geopolitics of oil from first hand experience. Certainly he knows the issues better than consultants from think tanks, academics, politicians, and journalists.
Anyone who can successfully run Exxon Mobil has to be smart and tough. Tillerson will walk into the job and be respected by both our allies and enemies, unlike his recent predecessors.
Finally, the State Department needs a major overhaul. Bringing an outsider in ensures there are no sacred cows when the slashing of the bureaucracy begins.
Hey, Soros troll, the fact that you’re siding with McCain, Graham and the Washington Post is all we need to know about you. Get lost.
Since Frank Gaffney insisted (and perhaps still does) that Iraq was behind the 9/11 attacks, he has essentially zero credibility on any foreign policy issue as far as I’m concerned.