Sunday, December 11, 2016

A new type of SOS?






"Trump looks at Tillerson as being the anti-Kerry. Kerry, who is dripping with Washington politics, is a 'cookie cutter', travel everywhere, do nothing, Secretary of State."



I will say one thing for sure. When Trump said he was going to "shake things up a bit" in Washington, he appears to be a man of his word. Some of Mr. Trump's loyalists did not make the cut - and some came in from left field. The most interesting to date however, is Trump's pick for Secretary of State. A man who has never, ever been in politics. 


Rex Tillerson is the CEO of Exxon Mobil, one of the largest companies in the world. He has worked there his entire career, and move up the corporate ladder nicely. Exxon Mobil is a trans-global company and Mr. Tillerson has become a familiar face across the globe. As the saying goes, he knows the territory - and he knows people, including many foreign leaders.

Trump looks at Tillerson as being the anti-Kerry. Kerry, who is dripping with Washington politics, is a "cookie cutter", travel everywhere, do nothing, Secretary of State. His work experience in the real world is nil. Nada, zip. Tillerson not only understands the world, he understands the real world. And "real" is what Trump is now looking for in a Secretary of State.

Now this may be jumping the gun a bit, as Trump has not officially picked Rex Tillerson. Maybe he is being vetted for the Energy Secretary instead (would that ever drive the "greenies" crazy!) By the way, I am one of the few who also thinks that Mitt would be a good SOS. Why? He has real work experience. Plus he was a Governor. And, he is a "fixer" (the SLC Olympics).

Truthfully, I am very pleased with Trump's picks so far (with the exception of Mitch McConnell's wife). I really like the retired generals he has picked so far. The only one I would switch out if I could would be Flynn. I would put Jack Keane in that spot instead. Keane is a retired four star general as compared to Flynn who is a retired three star. Plus Keane does not have the baggage that Flynn seems to have. 

Bottom line is this - so far so good. This next week should be interesting also. Energy and VA still are wide open. Hopefully Mr. Trump will make the right picks on those positions (like Pete Hegseth at VA) as well as firming up the SOS job before next weekend.

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