Thursday 23 February 2017

Where is the US Sec of State?

Well, ok, Rex Tillerson has been in Mexico, facing an irate president over The Wall, but America's top diplomat as they like to call the secretary of state, has been almost invisible since he was appointed. The Department of State must be desperately worried. They like to be top dogs in the Washington arena, right in the forefront of policy-making. After Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, the department had got used to having Big Cheese secretaries of state, with the ear of the president and influencing everything remotely smelling of foreign and security policy. But Tillerson, a career oil man, has either been fumbling with all his briefs, not knowing where to start or he hasreceived a message from the White House that he's not really important enough to be part of Trump's  inner circle. So far the Trump acolytes making all the running are Jim Mattis, Pentagon boss, and Mike Pence, Vice-President, and perhaps also Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Tillerson has been noticeably absent from all the big policy moves, Mike Pompeo, CIA chief, hasn't raised his head above the parapet as yet, Dan Coates - who is Dan Coates - allegedly the replacement for Obama's James Clapper as director of national intelligence, is finding his feet, John Kelly at homeland security is spending his days devising countless draft memos on ways to kick out illegal immigrants, and other members of the cabinet don't really count. Poor Tillerson, he looks the part, tall, broad-shouldered, still has all his hair and seems potentially powerful. But Trump is ignoring him. Go away and be diplomatic, but watch out for my tweets, then you'll know what to do, Trump probably told him. When  Clinton and then Kerry ran State, it was the Pentagon which was always desperately trying to get its voice heard. Now, under Mad Dog Mattis, the Pentagon is up there with the big boys. Mattis actually says what he wants and clearly doesn't care what the likes of Steve Bannon want him to say or do. So come on Rex Tillerson, make your voice heard or the State Department is going to shrink into insignificance,

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