US ambassador resigns, saying he can no longer work with Trump

[AirPo]

Honor bound to quit Trump. That says a lot.

"As a junior foreign service officer, I signed an oath to serve faithfully the President and his administration in an apolitical fashion, even when I might not agree with certain policies. My instructors made clear that if I believed I could not do that, I would be honor bound to resign. That time has come," Feeley wrote.

<staff edit>

 

[wing2000]

These are extremely tough times to represent the values of the United States abroad.

 

[Monna]

the values of the United States

I suspect that there is a difference between the values of the United States and those of the President thereof. Actually the idea of values of a country is a little difficult to grasp. I think of Enron that had such a fine list of corporate values on paper, but in reality its leaders lived and operated according to an 'opposite' set of values. When we speak of the values of the USA, do we mean those embodied in the Constitution, or those of the current Administration, or those of ... who?

 

[Kalevalatar]

Nic Burns, a Foreign Service heavyweight and former US Ambassador to NATO:

Imagine being a US Ambassador today. You are the President’s personal representative. Your job is to support+defend him. But you can’t defend the indefensible. You can decide to disagree and say publicly that the USG+American people have the greatest respect for Haiti+Africa.

 

[Albion]

Ambassador Burns is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission, so it is likely that he wasn't sympathetic to the president"s policies in the first place. Plus, he had already resigned or retired from the Foreign Service a decade ago, saying he preferred to pursue other interests. In short, the resignation of this ambassador (out of 200 or so of them) doesn't really demonstrate much of anything.

 

[Kalevalatar]

Ambassador Burns is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission, so it is likely that he wasn't sympathetic to the president"s policies in the first place. Plus, he had already resigned or retired from the Foreign Service a decade ago, saying he preferred to pursue other interests. In short, the resignation of this ambassador (out of 200 or so of them) doesn't really demonstrate much of anything.

American Republicans turning against American Republicans -- I guess I'll just shrug and pretend not to enjoy the show.

 

[Albion]

American Republicans turning against American Republicans -- I guess I'll just shrug and pretend not to enjoy the show.

Oh, I'm sure that's one New Year's resolution that won't hold up. Anyway, this isnt about "Republicans" turning against anyone. It's about one Republican who never was in step with the president and apparently was also not especially interested in extending his diplomatic career after all.

It would have been better if he had not accepted the nomination only to serve a few months on the job before deciding, again, that he'd rather be doing something else.

 

[dgiharris]

"Panama will join the dozens of countries that do not currently have Senate-confirmed US ambassadors in place, including key US allies like South Korea, Jordan and Saudi Arabia."

I guess it is hard to fill your positions and appoint nominees when your work day is from 11am to 6pm and includes 4 hours worth of meals and "Executive Time" so you can watch TV and tweet

 

[dgiharris]

Ambassador Burns is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission, so it is likely that he wasn't sympathetic to the president"s policies in the first place. Plus, he had already resigned or retired from the Foreign Service a decade ago, saying he preferred to pursue other interests. In short, the resignation of this ambassador (out of 200 or so of them) doesn't really demonstrate much of anything.

I'm sorry, this just doesn't wash or pass the smell test. Do you realize how powerful an ambassador is? In essence, an ambassador is like a miniature President for that region. They aren't just gophers to the White House administration. They actually play a vital and active role with relations between the US and their assigned country.

When you appoint someone to that position and then said someone basically says, "I can't in good faith work for you because I feel your policies are bad for America" ... that is a big deal. THere is no way in which Trump comes out looking good here.

Trump comes on TV and says, "I have the best team, I'm surrounded by the best people"

But then, every time one of these people quit Trump and Trumpers say, "Oh, that person didn't matter, they were meaningless, nothing to see here move along move along..."

Every single time someone quits or resigns or is fired *cough Bannon cough* the spin out of the White House is "no big deal, they weren't important anyways..."

How is this supposed to fill me with confidence that my government is in good hands?

It is one thing to quit a job because you have a better offer or have personal issues or family issues. It is a whole other thing entirely for an Administration to be in such turmoil that the so-called "best people" you have surrounded yourself with, that you hand picked yourself, turn on you or quit your team over and over again blaming the Oval Office in one fashion or another...

 

[Mountainmanbob]

Full story here -->

Good riddance don't let the door hit you on the way out.
M-Bob

 

[Albion]

I'm sorry, this just doesn't wash or pass the smell test. Do you realize how powerful an ambassador is?

That doesn't change a thing, besides which I totally reject your other response here in which you make the jaw-dropping claim that the president works only part time and spends more time watching TV and the internet. I would be surprised if even Jim Acosta thought he could get away with something as laughable as that claim!

What's more, your idea that Trump's appointees are dropping like flies doesnt pass the smell test, either. Far more of his nominees have been deliberately help up by the Democratic Socialists in Congress than happened to other presidents, and this one ambassador is just that--ONE ambassador out of approximately 200 ambassadorships.

 

[Hank77]

Oh, I'm sure that's one New Year's resolution that won't hold up. Anyway, this isnt about "Republicans" turning against anyone. It's about one Republican who never was in step with the president and apparently was also not especially interested in extending his diplomatic career after all.

It would have been better if he had not accepted the nomination only to serve a few months on the job before deciding, again, that he'd rather be doing something else.

Do you have a source, a link or something, to this knowledge of what he is thinking and he would rather do?

 

[rambot]

I am TOTALLY shocked that I haven't seen the "drain the swamp" yet.

 

[DaisyDay]

Far more of his nominees have been deliberately help up by the Democratic Socialists in Congress than happened to other presidents

That's contrary to verifiable reality. Donald has been very tardy to nominate, some of his nominees have been stinkers and his nominees haven't been good at filling out their paperwork.

Trump has no nominees for 245 important jobs, including an ambassador to South Korea

 

[wing2000]

I suspect that there is a difference between the values of the United States and those of the President thereof. Actually the idea of values of a country is a little difficult to grasp. I think of Enron that had such a fine list of corporate values on paper, but in reality its leaders lived and operated according to an 'opposite' set of values. When we speak of the values of the USA, do we mean those embodied in the Constitution, or those of the current Administration, or those of ... who?

...Constitutional values.

 

[Kalevalatar]

Oh, I'm sure that's one New Year's resolution that won't hold up. Anyway, this isnt about "Republicans" turning against anyone. It's about one Republican who never was in step with the president and apparently was also not especially interested in extending his diplomatic career after all.

A distinguished American diplomat who has served three Republican administrations, all three of which have turned against Trump and what passes for his "administration," and in numerous think tanks side by side with fellow Republicans and conservatives. That he chose not to continue his career in the service of his country after a distinguished 25-year-career and serve the Obama administration is not something a Republican would hold againts him or anyone, Democrat or Republican.

The very fact that a middle-aging lady somewhere in neck of the woods and wilds of Finland knows Burns says all about just what caliber of an American foreign service heavyweight we are talking about here.

But please, do continue to try to keep poisoning the well as a debate tactic. The fact remains: Trump's ignorance, lack of common decency, potty mouth, divisive and racist language and continued flirting with the American racists far-right makes it very hard for all those decent American ambassodors and foreign service people to represent both their country and their President when the current President of the United States keeps giving the finger to the American values Americans hold dear and are justly proud of.

 

[Nithavela]

And so the good people go away and the ones without backbone stay.

 

[AirPo]

A distinguished American diplomat who has served three Republican administrations, all three of which have turned against Trump and what passes for his "administration," and in numerous think tanks side by side with fellow Republicans and conservatives. That he chose not to continue his career in the service of his country after a distinguished 25-year-career and serve the Obama administration is not something a Republican would hold againts him or anyone, Democrat or Republican.

The very fact that a middle-aging lady somewhere in neck of the woods and wilds of Finland knows Burns says all about just what caliber of an American foreign service heavyweight we are talking about here.

But please, do continue to try to keep poisoning the well as a debate tactic. The fact remains: Trump's ignorance, lack of common decency, potty mouth, divisive and racist language and continued flirting with the American racists far-right makes it very hard for all those decent American ambassodors and foreign service people to represent both their country and their President when the current President of the United States keeps giving the finger to the American values Americans hold dear and are justly proud of.

Some posts just need a second rating.

 

[Gigimo]

It sure seems like some folks think that if they despise or hate Trump they occupy the moral high ground, utterly amazing.

 

[Kalevalatar]

It sure seems like some folks think that if they despise or hate Trump they occupy the moral high ground, utterly amazing.

Decent people regardless of their political persuasion or lack thereof feel compelled to speak up when a mean racist like Trump tries to destroy common decency and our common values and turn us all into his silent comlicit.