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Businessmen can be leaders too -- and make money at it!

Reader comment on item: What Rex Tillerson Thinks
in response to reader comment: Is Cuba Really Going to be Trump's Foreign Policy Center Piece?

Submitted by Michael S, Jan 10, 2017 at 10:50

HI, Tovey. It's very good to see you again. You said, among other things,

"From the get-go, Tillerson is an enigma to any who do not realize that any level of inexperience he has in Washington style politics is more than compensated for by his knowledge of the war fought behind the scenes, the economic one that is shielded by those who control the world's money. Tillerson may not have a working knowledge of how much uranium is necessary to be spun in order to get sufficient material to tip a warhead; but one can guess he has insider's knowledge on to fund such a project. That requires negotiating skills, something (soon to be former) Sec of State Kerry does not have."

Business Insider says,

"The foundation for Tillerson's knowledge of foreign diplomacy is thought to be his extensive experience traveling across the the world for Exxon, which has operations in more than 50 countries, according to the Wall Street Journal. Already, his dealmaking history has begun to draw criticism — through his work at Exxon, Tillerson has cultivated longstanding ties to the Russian government that date back to the 1990s. Tillerson has struck several major deals with the Russian state-run corporation Rosneft and has a personal relationship with Russia's president Vladimir Putin, who in 2013 awarded him the country's Order of Friendship."

-- http://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-rex-tillerson-trump-may-pick-exxonmobil-ceo-for-secretary-of-state-2016-12

Tillerson appears to be a man of IMMENSE experience in dealing with foreign leaders, both business leaders and political leaders. Like Donald Trump, he gained his experience by working in business -- a field where, if you make a mistake, you pay through the nose. Professional politicians, on the other hand, deny everything and lett the taxpayers pay for their mistakes.

I do not consider these people "amateurs", just because they got practical degrees from less-than-Harvard-scale colleges. The tiff between the two classes goes way back to the days of the founding of the U of Penn (where Donald Trump got a Business degree, and where Harvard-graduated Daniel Pipes teaches). Harvard and Yale were founded as ministerial training schools, with a strong emphasis on Greek and Latin. Benjamin Franklin, who was instrumental in the establishment of what was to become the U of Penn, was more concerned with practical skills such as writing and science, and less concerned with the classics. The two competing philosophies seem to have been behind much of the snubbing of businessmen like Trump and Tillerson, by Harvard and Yale elitists such as Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush.

Concerning Cuba, it wins the prize as the American continent's most pathetic statelet, perhaps second to Haiti-- where people drive repeatedly refurbished 1956 Chevrolets not because they love American products, but because they can't afford anything else. I don't think a man should be faulted as "amateurish", for knowing more about Russia than about Cuba.

Submitting....

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Reader comments (31) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
1Obama and tyrants [68 words]helenJan 13, 2017 13:13235317
Rex Tillerson, a true climate believer - NOT [91 words]ThomasJJan 8, 2017 12:38235209
3Tabula Rasa: "Make America Great Again" [414 words]RobertJan 8, 2017 11:53235208
American Business [96 words]diana s. hamiltonJan 11, 2017 16:12235208
Chill out! [128 words]Elspeth R HuntJan 8, 2017 02:31235202
1Caste distinctions are out-of-place in America [83 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Michael SJan 8, 2017 01:36235200
I think the next four years will be good for America, compared to the past 28 [325 words]Michael SJan 11, 2017 04:00235200
1Allowing a fallacious critique of Rex Tillerson shows bias [271 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Rich McJan 7, 2017 23:37235199
Hit piece on Tillerson [49 words]dgdJan 7, 2017 21:00235195
1So what [10 words]RealityCheckJan 7, 2017 20:30235191
1Funny how Democrats didn't mind Obama's sucking up to Erdogan [41 words]AnonJan 7, 2017 19:07235189
Re dictators... [89 words]KephaJan 27, 2017 20:27235189
2Bob who? [132 words]WartyJan 7, 2017 18:59235188
Tillerson [39 words]Fred SchwartzJan 7, 2017 18:22235187
1Shallow Thinking Makes For Weak Convictions [131 words]DaveJan 7, 2017 18:15235186
1Cuba [130 words]GaryJan 7, 2017 17:53235185
Tillerson As Sec of State [97 words]Martin SchaffelJan 7, 2017 15:37235184
1Tillerson [16 words]Morrie AmitayJan 7, 2017 15:16235183
4Ridding the Mideast of Authoritarian figures [97 words]Steve KleinJan 7, 2017 15:04235182
1Secular democracy in the so called Islamic land is everyone's business [152 words]PrashantJan 7, 2017 22:06235182
1The intent of Reader Steve Klein's message was not very clear [195 words]PrashantJan 8, 2017 14:47235182
Prashant, you understood my intent perfectly [101 words]Steve KleinJan 10, 2017 10:55235182
China - Secular Oligarchy & Sustainability [432 words]RobertJan 10, 2017 14:31235182
It's time for America to rally around our chosen leader [Trump] and stand up to our enemies. [747 words]Michael SJan 12, 2017 15:53235182
knowledge of the outside world [111 words]Erin CorriganJan 7, 2017 15:02235181
2Menendez 's take on Tillerson? Really? [67 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
PA StrongJan 7, 2017 14:40235180
...and I guess I wonder why don't. [7 words]P.A StrongJan 7, 2017 20:46235180
Is Cuba Really Going to be Trump's Foreign Policy Center Piece? [395 words]M ToveyJan 9, 2017 11:07235180
Businessmen can be leaders too -- and make money at it! [474 words]Michael SJan 10, 2017 10:50235180
1So much Kabuki theatre [283 words]jd willJan 14, 2017 13:24235180
3Time for a Different Strategy [38 words]Barry BlackJan 7, 2017 14:33235179

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