Posted on 01/23/2017 9:37:41 AM PST by mandaladon
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican Senator Marco Rubio reluctantly backed President Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, in a move that all but secures Senate confirmation of the former Exxon Mobil Corp chief executive as the nation's top diplomat later on Monday.
Rubio said he was troubled by Tillerson's recent responses before lawmakers regarding Russia as well as other countries, but that he ultimately decided he would vote to approve the nominee in deference to Trump, as well as to fill a critical top job.
"Despite my reservations, I will support Mr. Tillerson’s nomination in committee and in the full Senate," Rubio said in a statement ahead of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's vote on Tillerson.
A vote in the Republican-controlled Senate was expected shortly after the committee vote. Tillerson was expected to win confirmation, despite opposition from Democrats.
Rubio, a onetime rival to Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, said he would not be so deferential regarding Trump's other nominees for top State Department posts.
At a confirmation hearing earlier this month, Tillerson's views appeared to be at odds with Trump's on key foreign policy issues such as nuclear proliferation, trade deals, climate change and relations with Mexico.
The nominee also had a tense exchange with Rubio on whether he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin was a war criminal, in reference to Russia's military actions in support of Syria's government. Tillerson said he would not use that term.
Tillerson, 64, also sidestepped questions on human rights, declining to condemn countries like Saudi Arabia and the Philippines for rights abuses.
Over the weekend, fellow Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham said they would back Tillerson despite their concerns over his relationship with Putin as CEO of one of the world's largest corporations.
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
hahahahahah, what a fool. He always does this. “I’ll support the nominee”, I”m not sure I can support this nominee”, “Ok, I’ll support the nominee”. “I won’t run for the Senate again”, “Ok, i’ll run for the Senate again”. “I don’t think I can support Rex”, “Ok, i’ll support Rex’s nomination”. Why doesn’t he think before he speaks?
He was grandstanding with Tilerson, asking questions Tilerson could and should not answer “yes”. Then Rubio did not ask the same questions of other nominees, proving it was not a valid litmus test.
Why doesn’t he think before he speaks?
Tillerson presided over the homosexualization of the Boy Scouts. That’s likely what really “persuaded” Rubio’s vote.
Yep - The Rube must be taking flak - and he thought he was flexing his non-existent muscles....
Fortunately, someone or some group of people higher up in the Republican Party put Rubio in his place. The meeting must have been something like a father or uncle telling the obnoxious kid at the dinner table to shut up and let the grown-ups talk.
He got primaried last time, but the problem with that is when one person runs against a senator, then the party runs three or four more, and the guy with the most recognizable name gets about 33%, and that’s it, primary fails.
A sitting senator needs to be primaried by one other person, or there’s no chance.
Conservatives have been reading from the liberal playbook on “human rights” to justify foreign military interventions and globalism for years. Lord knows Dubya did that constantly. It’s only sounding out of place now that Trump’s campaign has realigned the political spectrum.
Fredo got the kiss. LOL!
That was due to neoconservatives displacing foreign policy realists. I can't imagine Reagan or even Bush I people such as Lawrence Eagleburger, Cap Weinberger, or James Bakker advocating "Arab Spring" or pushing regime change and nation-building in the name of "Democracy" in places like Libya or Syria. In contrast, the neoconservatives were all gung ho for Arab Spring, which is why many of them preferred Hillary to Trump, at least on foreign policy. If they criticized Obama and Hillary at all, it was because they weren't enthusiastic enough about supporting the Arab spring rebels and their allies.
The realignment you're talking about is just a return to conservative common sense. Foreign policy realists recognized that authoritarian regimes were the only things keeping most of these countries from exploding into chaos or being overrun by jihadi militants.
News banner on Cspan2: Sec of State nominee clears Sen Committee 11-10.
When Rubio first came on the scene, I had high hopes for him. Now him and McCain, and Linda Graham all need to be water boarded..........They are a disgrace!!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.