So much Kabuki theatre

Submitted by jd will (United States), Jan 14, 2017 at 13:24

I took the time to watch the entire confirmation hearing video on C-Span. I came away with respect for Rex Tillerson. Not blind trust, but a sense that this is a tough and realistic adult with an underlying moral compass.

Some of the senators merely engaged in entrapping questions (with Rubio -R) being the most egregious. Rex Tillerson is far too seasoned to allow himself to be baited into such inflammatory language as he prepares to take over a very sensitive position. Senators can posture thus, but a SoS cannot without severe loss of bandwidth for dialogue with leaders like Putin. That does not mean I think Rubio is wrong about some of the travesties he listed, he is however amatuer and childish in how to deal with them. I used to think he had potential, but now believe he is a petulant lightweight.

Only a few senators had dialogues about what a future SoS will actually face while others wasted their time (and mine) with ridiculous foray's into junk science about climate change. I am not a climate change denier, but too much hysteria about the tiny changes we have seen so far is being propagated for political reasons.

I suspect more substantive discussions were held in the private meetings they had with RT (heh, a pun) and some small signs I saw in the open hearings make me think that some democrats (Shaheen, Cardin) may vote to confirm this SoS nominee.

I get that you are adamant about Trump, but I have decided (and voted) to give nationalism a chance as the the ones who proclaimed for the last 40 or so years of my life that they knew better, didn't.

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