We have heard the excuses over and over on Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s behalf. He’s new at this. He’s getting his feet wet. He’s not used to press scrutiny. Frankly, neither he nor his defenders are helping his cause at this point.
The latest was his declaration that “I didn’t want this job. I didn’t seek this job.” He made the remark to Erin McPike, the sole journalist allowed to accompany him on his flight to Asia. “My wife told me I’m supposed to do this.” He added, according to the report, “I was supposed to retire in March, this month. I was going to go to the ranch to be with my grandkids.” Perhaps he intended this as a humble brag, but the tone came across as self-pitying and crabby.
This came after his assertion that “I am not a big press media access person. I personally don’t need it.” Well, someone should break it to him that this is not about him; it’s about the accountability we expect of high-ranking officials in a democracy.
Tillerson’s perpetual tone-deafness would be problematic for any Cabinet official. For the country’s chief diplomat, it is tragic. Much of diplomacy is not just what one says and does but how one says and does it. In order for the secretary of state to confront what is arguably our greatest challenge — Russia’s threat to our and other liberal democracies — he must grasp the nature of the threat and then understand his role in combating it.
Tillerson might consider the remarks of the ranking Democrat on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Adam Schiff, D-California, who spoke at the Brookings Institution on Tuesday. In a column adapted from those remarks, Schiff cautioned: “The Russian attack on our democracy last year was unprecedented in that it was directed obviously at us and in that it succeeded.”
Pointing to Russian efforts to cultivate far-right parties in Europe and meddle in our allies’ elections, he warned, “The objective is simple: to arrest and reverse European integration, to push NATO back from Russia’s borders, and, to the extent possible, re-create Soviet-era influence in Moscow’s Near Abroad.” Schiff’s recommendation is the anti-Tillerson approach.
In short, active and public defense of democratic values; walking the walk and not simply talking about the virtues of open, democratic institutions; prioritizing relationships with democratic allies; and vocal support for human rights are critical. Schiff was right to knock Tillerson because he “did not even bother to show up for this year’s release of the report on human rights, a sharp break with the practice of previous secretaries.”
Foreign policy guru Thomas Wright remarks via email, “Russia and China are delighted that Secretary Tillerson is not pushing them on human rights and democracy. They’re delighted because they know it matters. And even better, they got it without giving anything up.” He adds, “The job of secretary of state is not just about striking narrow deals with foreign governments; it is about representing and defending a particular idea of international order. That requires the secretary to engage people, not just governments. It means the secretary needs to talk about universal values and remind us of our history.” He offers, “Tillerson’s background has not prepared him for this part of the job, but he needs to adapt if he is to be successful.”
Perhaps there is some recognition on Tillerson’s part that things have gone off-course. The Wall Street Journal reports: “U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, facing complaints over his unusual plan to skip a formal meeting of North Atlantic Treaty Organization foreign ministers in April, moved to reassure allies by suggesting alternative dates for the meeting, the State Department said. … After complaints from diplomats, the State Department said on Tuesday it had offered dates to NATO that would allow Mr. Tillerson to attend the meeting of foreign ministers, which is currently planned for April 5-6.”
Michael O’Hanlon of Brookings takes a generous view. “Perhaps he’s just undertaking his own little ‘strategic pause’ as he also gets up to speed on issues and tries to think conceptually rather than pound the pavement too much. I agree that he’ll need to become more sensitive to public messaging, but I’m prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt for now.”
Let’s hope Tillerson does not disappoint.
Jennifer Rubin writes the Right Turn blog for The Washington Post, offering reported opinion from a conservative perspective.