McCain hammers Tillerson in NYT op-ed

[DonViejo]

Source: Politico



By LOUIS NELSON 05/08/17 08:24 AM EDT

Sen. John McCain slammed Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in a New York Times op-ed published Monday morning, accusing the nation’s chief diplomat of adopting a foreign policy that abandons both U.S. values and victims of oppression around the world.

McCain’s op-ed came in response to remarks Tillerson delivered last week to State Department employees, in which he said that “in some circumstances if you condition our national security efforts on someone adopting our values, we probably can’t achieve our national security goals.” Tillerson’s boss, President Donald Trump, has made a habit of offering warm words for dictators and political strongmen from around the world, including Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Egypt’s Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.

“With those words, Secretary Tillerson sent a message to oppressed people everywhere: Don’t look to the United States for hope. Our values make us sympathetic to your plight, and, when it’s convenient, we might officially express that sympathy,” McCain (R-Ariz.), the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, wrote. “But we make policy to serve our interests, which are not related to our values. So, if you happen to be in the way of our forging relationships with your oppressors that could serve our security and economic interests, good luck to you. You’re on your own.”

The Arizona senator recalled his own experience as a prisoner during the Vietnam War, when he said his captors would often taunt prisoners by telling them that the U.S. government had forgotten about them. McCain said he and his fellow prisoners took heart to hear from new arrivals that the government had not, in fact, abandoned them. Without the knowledge that the U.S. was supporting them, McCain said, some prisoners might have “ransomed our honor for relief from abuse.”



Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/08/john-mccain-rex-tillerson-new-york-times-op-ed-238107

[tanyev]

1. Well, that puts an interesting slant on this thread from Friday:

Official: Cindy McCain eyed for senior State Dept. role

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10141767312

[BadgerMom]

9. My first thought as well

[SkyDaddy7]

13. They might be trying to

get McCain to be quiet. I doubt that will work but who knows McCain can take on any number of personalities.

[hatrack]

2. McCain & Graham Back Tillerson - Politico (Confirmation)

Shut the fuck up, John. Oh, and take your fabled phony "independence", and wrap it in barbed wire, and then dip it in battery acid, and then shove it up your ass, you phony fucking enabler.

McCain and Graham (R-S.C.) both offered poor reviews of Tillerson's performance afterward. But on Sunday morning after McCain's TV appearance, he and Graham released a joint a statement saying they would back Tillerson and not buck Trump.

"Though we still have concerns about his past dealings with the Russian government and President Vladimir Putin, we believe that Mr. Tillerson can be an effective advocate for U.S. interests," they said. "The views that Mr. Tillerson has expressed, both privately and publicly during the confirmation process, give us confidence that he will be a champion for a strong and engaged role for America in the world."

It's a move that could also give Rubio room to oppose Tillerson without tanking the nomination completely, although there is enormous internal pressure from Trump's allies for Rubio to support the nomination.

EDIT

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/mccain-tillerson-senate-confirm-233989

[chelsea0011]

3. Talking John McCain is different than voting John McCain. RW republican puke through and through.

[dalton99a]

5. John McCain on GOP health care bill: "I am glad we are moving forward."

Fuck that hypocrite.

[NewRedDawn]

7. Exactly!

These 3 are little whiney party first patsies. You had your chance Johnnie boy to stop Tillerson, but you didn't.

[n2doc]

4. The only thing John wants is more war, fast.

How did that Iraq war turn out, John?

[dalton99a]

6. +1

[OnDoutside]

8. McCain, the grand old Duke of York

Oh, the grand old Duke of York,
He had ten thousand men,
He marched them up to the top of
Everyone stands up
The hill and he marched
Them down again.
Everyone sits down


And when they were up they were up.
Everyone stands up
And when they were down they were down.
Everyone sits down
And when they were only half way up,
They were neither up nor down.
Everyone half-way up
(repeat)


https://www.scoutsongs.com/mp3/GrandOldDukeOfYork.mp3

[genxlib]

10. What are you going to do...

when bad guys are sitting on the oil.

When your foreign policy revolves around access to the oil, it means playing nice with some foul people.

Which is why renewable energy is a national security issue.

[bucolic_frolic]

11. Senator McCain

is often bluster, but there are subjects for which he has unique credibility

Anything that reverts the wild and lawless bunch to the mean is welcome

[hibbing]

12. Always rewarded with a pub grab n/t

[Alice11111]

14. I read that late last night. I think it is a big deal.

The comments were fairly critical of McCain.
However, for him to stand up to and call a fellow Repub and Sec of State in the NYT, basically says get rid of this faker.

[Kennah]

15. I'm just here to pop popcorn