A Very Negotiable "Faith"

The magazine of Decision, "The Evangelical Voice For Today," reported in January, 2019 that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's pastor at Eastminster Presbyterian Church in Wichita, Kansas remarked

We love Mike and Susan. Susan is warm and inviting, smart and caring. Both are followers of Jesus. Mike was a small business owner when he served as deacon. He was a humble, competent and hard-working man who cared about his employees, his family and his church.

The truth, not so much.  According to The Washington Post. after an interview with NPR reporter Mary Louise Kelly in January, 2020, Pompeo launched a profane tirade in which

“He asked me, ‘Do you think Americans care about Ukraine?’ ” she continued. “He used the f-word in that sentence and many others. He asked if I could find Ukraine on a map. I said yes; he called out for his aides to bring him a map of the world with no writing, no countries marked. I pointed to Ukraine; he put the map away. He said, ‘People will hear about this.’ ”

Despite an email chain which preceded the interview, Pompeo "accused Kelly of having 'lied to me, twice,' first in setting up the terms of the interview and then again in agreeing to keeping the 'post-interview conversation' off the record. "  Moreover

The statement ended with a vague, unexplained assertion — “It is worth noting that Bangladesh is NOT Ukraine” — that seemed to imply Kelly, who holds a master’s degree in European studies from Cambridge University, got her geography wrong.

A week after the election, Pompeo was asked by a reporter at a news conference "is the State Department planning to engage with the Biden transition team...?  He responded in part "there will be a smooth transition to a second Trump Administration." That didn't happen.

 

Moreover, now-private citizen Mike Pompeo is not done. 

Ben Rhodes told @J_Insider that @netanyahu — and all Jews — are “corrupt and cruel.” While this view is taking root among some Democrats, does President Biden agree? I hope not.https://t.co/43aFOqgeC2

— Mike Pompeo (@mikepompeo) February 18, 2021

The article itself to which Pompeo helpfully linked described the podcast hosted by Ben Rhodes, who served in the National Security Council under President Obama, in which

Rhodes speculated on what drives Netanyahu’s world view: “Maybe the view is, ‘Jews have been screwed throughout history, by a corrupt cruel world. And so you know what, we just have to be corrupt and cruel ourselves. That’s the only way to survive in this world.’”

Yet for Pompeo, that somehow became Rhodes stating "all Jews are 'corrupt and cruel.'"

The fawning article in Decision was entitled "Mike Pompeo's Non-Negotiable Faith."  It seems, though, that Mike Pompeo's most abiding faith is in (pardon the redundancy) deceit and Donald Trump.   

 

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BDS Under Scrutiny

God is in the details, it is said. It is said also that the devil is in the details, which sets up a very interesting dynamic.

And so we have Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemning the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement and declaring, according to CBS News, "We will immediately take steps to identify organizations that engage in hateful BDS conduct and withdraw U.S. government support for such groups."

It is unclear, nonetheless, what groups Pompeo is referring to. However, in response to the Secretary of State, the Palestinian BDS National Movement issued a statement claiming it "has consistently and categorically rejected all forms of racism, including anti-Jewish racism, as a matter of principle."

There are at least two problems with this statement. It's one thing to object to "racism" as a "matter of principle." Every person or group can easily say he/she/they do so, but without specifying instances, "a matter of principle" is indistinguishable from "in concept." Additionally, the evidence that Jews constitute a race is weak, though it has had many notable supporters, including a world-renown German of the mid-twentieth century.

Even aside from the anthropological fallacy, it's nearly impossible to conclude that the BDS movement is not anti-Semitic. Its website argues "The fanatic Trump-Netanyahu alliance is intentionally conflating opposition to Israel’s regime of occupation, colonization and apartheid against Palestinians and calls for nonviolent pressure to end this regime."

As the video below explains, the characterization of Israel as an apartheid state cannot be sustained. Moreover, it's obvious that (despite protestations to the contrary) an organization which believes- accurately or inaccurately- that a nation's existence is based on apartheid would not tolerate the continued existence of that state other than as a parcel of land. When interviewed in July of 2019 by The New York Times

Omar Barghouti, a top B.D.S. spokesman, called the Israeli laws racist and exclusionary. A democratic state could still provide asylum for Jewish refugees, showing “some sensitivity to the Jewish experience,” he said, “but it cannot be a racist law that says only Jews benefit.” Asked if that means Jews cannot have their own state, he said, “Not in Palestine.”

Barghouti, of course, did not specify where in the world Jews, who shaped, formed, and built a democratic land in a region where so few ever have existed, and had lived there continuously for millennia, would have their own state.

That does not necessarily mean that the federal government should withdraw its support for organizations that "engage in hateful BDS conduct," whatever that means.  Pompeo needs to put some meat on the bones of the imprecise "engage in BDS conduct."

This may be an instance of bad policy or good policy. unfortunately, whatever it is, it would inevitably be opposed by the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, whose hostility toward the existence of a Jewish state is starkly obvious.

 

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Pledging Allegiance Not To This Country

She was a Democrat who supported Democratic senators Hubert Humphrey and especially Senator Henry "Scoop" Jackson, the latter a neo-conservative before anyone even had heard the term. Then came the nomination of George McGovern for President, reflecting the sentiment of a party which had turned against the Vietnam War and, more generally, war.

So Jeane Kirkpatrick, who later became Ambassador to the United Nations in the Reagan presidency, gave a rousing speech at the 1984 Republican National Convention, excoriating "San Francisco Democrats" (in an era in which "San Francisco" was a synonym for "gay") and declaring- repeatedly- "they always blame America first."

Oh my, have times changed.  The Democratic Party gradually became more hawkish and when the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics became simply "Russia," the GOP moderated its fanatical anti-Russia stance. And with the resurgence of Vladimir Putin, once a top KGB agent, Republicans found someone they could respect as head of a nation whose aims had reverted to those of the Cold War.

Nonetheless, as Donald Trump was on the verge of clinching the GOP presidential nomination, then-House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Republican of California, observed "There's two people I think Putin pays: (California GOP Representative Dana) Rohrabacher and Trump." Today, McCarthy is one of President Trump's most reliable toadies.

At Helsinki in July of 2018, reminded that USA intelligence sources had concluded that Russia had interfered with the last American presidential election, Donald Trump maintained "President Putin says it's not Russia. I don't see any reason why it would be."  Trump's fondness for, and trust in, the Russian dictator is well documented and defended by his Party. So as John Oliver would say, "and now this":

President Putin of Russia called to thank me and the U.S. for informing them of a planned terrorist attack in the very beautiful city of Saint Petersburg. They were able to quickly apprehend the suspects, with many lives being saved. Great & important coordination!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2019

Saint Petersburg is beautiful. Baltimore, however, is "a disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess;" Los Angeles is a "disaster" and San Francisco a "total disaster."  But Saint Petersburg is "beautiful."

Running down America and Americans has become a point of pride for Donald Trump, even sometimes doing it publicly and in foreign lands.  Evidently, he has been a source of inspiration for others as we learned in a video, recently unearthed, of an excerpt of remarks made at Texas A&M University in April. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, evidently pleased with himself, stated

But in terms of how you think about problem sets, I- when I was a cadet, what's the first, what's the cadet's motto- you will not lie, cheat, or steal, or tolerate those who do? I was the C.I.A. director. We lied, we cheated, we stole. It- it was like we had entire training courses.

Dear Vladimir- we do it, too, so it's o.k. if you do, especially when it comes to our elections.  It's unknown whether President Trump knew of the Secretary's remark but if he did, Pompeo would have risen in his boss' estimation.

Democrats of the 1970s did not blame America first, merely refusing to absolve it of all blame.  We now have in the Trump Administration a regime which attributes more blame to this country than to its most militarily powerful enemy, Russia. 

Kevin McCarthy in 2016 probably was wrong- Donald Trump is not being paid by Russia. He doesn't have to be. But as demonstrated by Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee considering the President's impeachment, Jeanne Kirkpatrick was prescient. Politicians do "blame America first"- but she had the wrong Party.



                                                     Happy New Year

                                                     Feliz año nuevo

                                                    and in honor of President Donald Trump:
                                                    С новым годом
                                                  

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Not A Great Week For Europe, Either

Following the resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Axios' Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen reveal "We talked all day yesterday with Republican officials, operatives and advisers who are truly scared for America. But it's telling that few have the courage to say it publicly."

Obviously, General Mattis had the courage to say it publicly, noting his concern with

treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues. We must do everything possible to advance an international order that is most conducive to our security, prosperity and values, and we are strengthened in this effort by the solidarity of our alliances.

With the opportunity to express his appreciation for serving his Commander-in-Chief or the President, Mattis instead wrote (emphasis mine) "I very much appreciate this opportunity to serve the nation and our men and women in uniform."

Senators especially appreciated the General's hawkishness, commitment to international alliances, and general demeanor, with Democratic senator Tim Kaine stating "I want someone like Mattis who will tell the President the truth to his face." Republican senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin asserted "I'd like  a Mattis clone. I think we all would" and Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse remarked "This is a sad day for America."

Evidently so, because it leaves a vacuum which Secretary of State Mike Pompeo may, disastrously, partially fill.

In a six-sentence statement, Senate Majority Leader McConnell maintained that he is "particularly distressed that he (Mattis) is resigning due to sharp differences with the President on these and other key aspects of America’s global leadership." He added “I believe it’s essential that the United States maintain and strengthen the post-World War II alliances that have been carefully built by leaders in both parties."

The Europeans would agree. Nevertheless (or perhaps therefore) at the 2018 NATO Foreign Minister Summit in Brussels early this month, reports the New Yorker's Susan Glasser, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo  "attacked the United Nations, the E.U., the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund, and derided what he called Europe’s flawed vision of multilateralism as 'an end to itself.'" He ludicrously compared “the type of leadership that President Trump is boldly reasserting” with American leadership during the Cold War and refused to take questions after his speech ended.

Not having boasted sufficiently, while returning from Brussels Pompeo actually claimed

We’ve rebuilt NATO in important ways already. NATO is a far stronger organization as a result of the Trump administration than it was for the previous decade, I can assure you. And the 28 European ministers who were there with me today know that too.

This is no way to win friends (aside from Moscow) while a brilliant strategy to alienate friends and allies. A few days earlier, Fogh Rasmussen, a prime minister of Denmark who went on to become the Secretary-General of NATO, had warned

If, at a certain state, Mattis — for one reason or another — were to leave the U.S. government, that would create huge, huge problems with U.S. allies within NATO. If he were to be sacked, that would be an indication that the U.S. government doesn't feel as committed to Article V as in the past. And, in the worst case, it might also tempt [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to test the strength of the alliance and in particular the strength of Article V.

Less than three weeks later, Defense Secretary Mattis- alarmed by the Administration's attack on alliances, the decision to withdraw from Syria, and other matters- would resign. By contrast

“It no longer makes sense for there to be 2,000 soldiers stationed there," he (Pompeo) said this week, even as reports emerged that he privately disagreed with the move.

Such willingness to defend Trump — no matter the potential damage to his reputation — is par for the course for Pompeo. The diplomat is a former congressman from Kansas with a reputation as a highly partisan Republican, and he has worked exceedingly hard to stay in Trump’s good graces. He often tries to spin Trump’s unpopular actions in a positive light — even agreeing to pose for a smile-filled photo with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman at the height of outrage over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

One guy is well respected by Congress and his peers. He tries unsuccessfully to steer President Trump away from a dangerous policy, then honorably resigns with a letter warning of the threat to our national security, international order, and democratic values.   

The other fellow, fairly fresh after trying to weaken the Trans-Atlantic Alliance, cozies up even further with a reckless President, all the while trying to preserve his reputation with the GOP establishment. He pauses to whisper in the ear of friendly reporters so that he may preserve his reputation with a GOP establishment while he recognizes the SS Titanic heading to the iceberg and urges the captain on.

It was a bad week for the President. It may have been an even worse week for the USA and the west.

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