What do both energy and global security stand to gain or lose from a leader like Tillerson? The CEO brings the obvious ties to and understanding of Vladimir Putin’s Russia to the office, a point of view from which Washington might benefit. Relations with Russia plummeted throughout the Obama administration, and Trump’s team will have their work cut out for them. Those at the top of the global energy sector must conduct their business through keen political insight, something Mr. Tillerson has certainly obtained. This deep understanding of political tension in Europe could be a needed asset, but his likely view of politics through a business lens (Mr. Tillerson has no political experience) could also introduce a conflict of interest to a foggy bottom, affecting the profitability of the energy sector as a whole.
Fruitful energy relations between Europe and Russia are paramount. After the recent energy crises caused by Russia’s halting of gas flow through Ukraine, Europe awoke to its dependence on Russian resources. From this point there arose a divide in willingness to expand deals with Russia, leading to the highly controversial Nord Stream line(s), which provide a direct natural gas line from Russia to Germany. There continues to be a divide over whether Europe should continue expansive deals with Russian energy companies.
John Bolton is probable Deputy Secretary.
Too many people are buying into this “Russia helping Trump” garbage…
Russia was not helping Trump, Russia was hurting Hillary.
Just last year Putin said she was satan…called her right out
Putin hates her guts…and who can blame him
She lies, she destablized the middle east….and to top it all of….insulting the living hell out of all of them.
Showed up with some red button she bought at the dollar store…like they are a bunch of three year olds.
Russia don’t do cute or clever…what a idiotic childish…about a very serious matter
Bolton is a great Deputy pick. Like Trump’s personal shotgun: Tillerson gets to be the face of the dept. while Bolton runs it. Rather seems like the White House: Trump’s the Prez, sure, but Pence is running it.
Trump picked Tillerson, Pence picked Bolton.
So far,so good, decent picks for EPA -Pruitt, Mattis for Defence,Kelly for DHS,Pompeo at CIA, Mnuchin for Treasury,Sessions for A-G,Puzder at Labour,Price at Health, Perry at Energy,Carson at HUD, Ross at Commerce,Chao at Transport,Haley to the UN, DeVos at Education,Flynn at NSA,and not ONE goddamn
Chicago “organizer” in the bunch.
It will be good to see adults chosen for their ability in charge of so many portfolios,instead of socialist/commie cronies of a zealot who hated the Country he was in charge of for too many years.
“…Trump’s the Prez, sure, but Pence is running it…”
I suspect Mr. Trump knows how to preside, and that success of what he presides over requires the application of other people’s talents and efforts to work. President Obama seemed to think everything he told anyone to do would just work because the guy giving the orders was smarter than his policy guys, his speechwriters, his campaign directors, etc.
How much did the Russians help Turdeau?
JMO.. I think it was the Clintons and or obungles that helped truedope…
The dumbocrats sure are squeeling aren’t they…
Watching Pat |Robertson this morning, he used this line…
when the pigs start squeeling, turn up the grease!!
Thumbs up on that!
Go Trump go….drain that swamp!
he better or he will be a one term wonder.
Has anyone ever stopped to think that if the US and Russia plan and develop mutual energy self reliance we could tell the Middle East to go frack themselves?
I’ve thought that for a long time… ever since the first OPEC oil embargo in the 70s. The feeling only increased after those Saudi’s did 9-11.
The animosity toward Russia was a propaganda construct of the MIC to further the Cold War agenda. I never bought into that cr@p. Russia is a country with a Christian heritage and similar cultural values as ours. It never made sense to me that we continued to pander to barbaric Muslimes who vowed to destroy our culture, kill our men and rape our women. We should ally with Russia and drive the Muslime sand-nigger barbarians back to the desert stone age existence they deserve.
I’ve thought that for a long time… ever since the first OPEC oil embargo in the 70s. The feeling only increased after those Saudi’s did 9-11.
The animosity toward Russia was a propaganda construct of the MIC to further the Cold War agenda. I never bought into that cr@p. Russia is a country with a Christian heritage and similar cultural values as ours. It never made sense to me that we continued to pander to barbaric Muslimes who vowed to destroy our culture, kill our men and rape our women. We should ally with Russia and drive the Muslime sand-nîgger barbarians back to the desert stone age existence they deserve.
Trudeau didn’t need any help to get elected. Put the blame squarely where it belongs,at the feet of the eastern idiots.
If Bolton gets a call in the middle of night warning of a embassy attack, I’m sure he won’t hit the snooze button like its not my fault Killary.
Perhaps SDA should not shill for Trump. Mark Levin had some great analysis on this. Tillerson is everything Trumpists claim to be against.
Hmmmm … much as I admire Mark Levin he talks like a perfect idiot whenever the subjects of Russia or Vladimir Putin arise.
https://www.conservativereview.com/commentary/2016/12/mark-levin-shreds-trump-secretary-of-state-pick-rex-tillerson?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_content=121316rextillersonpandolfo&utm_campaign=crfb
Tillerson and Bolton will make not only the Middle East irrelevant, but the UN as well. Europe and Trudeau will need to decide if they want to follow the leader or eat dust. Eastern Europe could possibly overtake their EU neighbours.
Two thoughts: 1) V. Putin knows more about what Hillary says to her own people than we do, thanks to SIGINT;
2) Hillary and Obama have lied to everybody, including no doubt the Russians. In videos Putin has said he doesn’t know what the Americans are thinking, or what their intentions are. That is a dangerous circumstance.
Re: Trump and Putin:
The man from New York and the man from St. Petersburg share many characteristics, three of which are:
•They are both non ideological. That is to say: they both tend to be pragmatic.
•They are both interested in nation building. They are both patriots but I don’t see either one as chauvinistic or xenophobic.
•They both believe in wealth creation as a means to power, both personally and nationally. I would call both of them pragmatic capitalists.
Since the militaristic wing of Islam is an existential threat to both Russia and the U.S. there is an opportunity for a joint venture, so to speak. And this is the kind of deal that Trump could make work after he assumes the office of president.
Radical Islam has destabilised the middle east and the Islamic invasion of Europe via a massive manufactured “refugee” crisis is on the verge of destabilising Europe. A destabilised Europe presents an existential threat to Russia. If Russia feels threatened it will assume an aggressive military posture which, in turn, will put the U.S. on the defensive. If this deliberate destabilising threat of an expanding Radical Islam is allowed to spread it will have catastrophic consequences for world peace.
Both Putin and Trump know that Radical Islamists are not rational people. There is no art of the deal with them. ISIS and al-Qaida must be destroyed. Radical Islam’s financial backers – Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States – must be brought to heel. This can only be done by depriving them of their oil revenue and this can only be done by expanding the petroleum production and distribution capacities of the U.S. and Russia. Rex Tillerson – 40 years at Exxon and its CEO – is one of the world’s foremost experts on this subject.
I really think that Mark Levin and others of his kidney are pushing the US and Russia into a major war. A single nuclear device would make a mess of e.g. NYC. The present approach is profoundly different from that taken during the Cold War, especially the early Cold War, when we were dealing with some real monsters. V. Putin is a pussycat compared to Krushchev or Malenkov, much less Stalin himself.
I’m good with that..;-)
With almost (?) all of the nominees for cabinet now announced there is a very clear theme to all of them:
They are agents of change for their depts. not a single stand pat pick in the bunch.
They are all very public figures – lots of on the record comments
They are reformers – conservatives in their particular area even though they aren’t all conservative/republican.
And, I think, public displays at trump tower and elsewhere aside, we will find out in time that the process was conducted in a very professional – diligent – manner. Like you would expect an accomplished executive to do it.
Agree Blackfox. The greatest threat we face is from globalists who wish to centralize everything in one ideal system. This is a system designed by bureaucrats for bureaucrats, not for the 99% of the population who just want to get on with their lives. One just has to look at the bureaucratic nightmare the EU has become and this was just a start for the globalists.
Russia tried empire and in the process bankrupted itself. Putin will strongly defend Russia but has little interest in repeating a failed attempt at empire building. Putin also has a very strong interest in eliminating islamic extremism given the large muslim populations in strategically important areas of Russia. Thus, the desire to kill all of the ISIS followers from various Russian republics in Syria rather than waiting for them to come back to Russia and continue their jihad there.
The US has also been bankrupted by empire and has at least as good a record as the former USSR in destroying countries. The nobel peace prize winner in the WH was responsible for the destruction of Iraq, Libya, Tunisia, Egypt (although that was short-lived), Syria – which created the influx of rapefugees into Europe and, through the US MIA, Yemen. It`s time to wind down the US empire, stop meddling in everyones business and concentrate on the problems in the US which have been greatly exacerbated by the $4+ trillion spent on the Bush43 and Obozo`s wars. The US government has been exposed as a corrupt plutocracy for whom prison time or execution should be the response for their years of criminality. One can only hope that the RICO laws are fully applied to the Klinton foundation and all associated with it.
In regard to John Lewis`s post, a single nuclear device exploded high above the US would be more than sufficient to convert the US immediately to third world status as a result of the EMP. There no longer exists any manufacturing capacity for high voltage transformers in the US and thus restoring power to the country would take months at the best to over a year. Given how networked the US currently is, it would take considerably longer to replace all electronics that would be destroyed although the bulk of the damage would come from the huge numbers of people in US cities relying on EBT cards who, after a couple of days without food, would likely burn the cities to the ground.
I don’t care who or what the CBC, CTV and other warped media (AKA leftist propagandists) are trying to discount. A man who could manage Exxon and it’s world wide operations will fit into the position of US Secretary of State as well as he fits into his pinstriped suit, monogrammed shirt and gold cuff links he wears.
http://www.forbes.com/profile/rex-tillerson/
Exactly! Obama and Hillary tried to give Putin one black eye after another and interfered big time in the last Russian election. Whatever involvement Russia had in the US election was big time payback.
blackfox, excellent comment and a great followup by Loki.
Putin is for Russia, PERIOD. He discovered while still a minor operative in East Germany that communism/socialism were bullsh*t and didn’t work. He is more interested in pursuing the same national interests and foreign policies of the Tsars and Tsarinas than some ideological nonsense. Tsarina Catherine II conquered lands east of the Dnieper River and Crimea from the Ottomans in the late 1700s. Western Ukraine, different story, historically debatable, ask the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth or the different branches of the Orthodox Churches,
Of course, Putin has also made a little money from friendly oligarchs along the way. But then we have the Clinton Foundation, and wonders never cease, a Trudeau Foundation (brown bag business doing great).
Yet another appointee who knows how to actually run an organization, and also has the stature to stand up to Trump if/when it is warranted and not be a yes-man.
Both qualities sorely lacking in Obama’s cabinet.
Rex Tillerson and Rick Perry are appointments guaranteed to raise the systolic BP of the NYT. Give it a quick read, it’s hillarious to picture the heads exploding at the NYT.
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/12/trump-wages-war-on-the-executive-branch-with-cabinet-picks.html
I think they find Pruitt especially offensive:
“Perhaps by the time of his confirmation hearings, EPA Administrator – designee Scott Pruitt may be able to think of a single EPA regulation he favors. But it will take some hard work and ingenuity to find it. His official biography as Oklahoma’s attorney general boasts that this follil-fuel enthusiast (they seem to be saying that as if it were a bad thing) is a “leading advocate against the EPA’S activist agenda.” The venerable Sierra Club described his appointment as “like putting an arsonist in charge of fighting fires.””
When did the Sierra Club become “venerable”?
YES!!! Very well stated.
That’s exactly what needs to happen to bring the Muslime sand-nîgger barbarians to heel. The Chinese have their own conflict with the Muslime barbarians and they will either go along with or tacitly endorse a US-Russian cooperative venture to wipe ISIS off the map. Like most bullies, the Muslime sand-nîgger barbarians will walk all over lieberal pandering because they disrespect it. If Russia and the US stand up to them united, then they will run away like curs with their tails between their legs.
Lieberals will never learn that pandering to your enemies does not make then your friends, it only makes you the object of their disrespect and ridicule — Muslime barbarians treat Lieberals like cnuts.
Mark Levin is becoming as unlistenable as Glenn Beck. I suggest the strident anti-Trumpers better temper their rhetoric. After all, the GOPe has so much to answer-for … starting with the fact that THEY created Trump … and SEALED his VICTORY!!! This Tumpista has -0- problems with ANY of his cabinet. And actually LIKES that he met with Kanye … even though I personally have no use for Kanye. Trump is such a welcome antidote to 8years of the Marxist in the White House.
Rex Tillerson, winner of Russia’s 2013 Friendship Award, CEO of Rothschild’s ExxonMobil…Mnuchin, who worked for George Soros…Wilbur Ross worked for Rothschild…yeah, no ‘globalists there lol
Whoops, Rex Tillerson worked for the Rockefellers ExxonMobil…doesn’t matter, same bunch. John D and and the Rothchilds helped institute the Federal Reserve in 1913 and the Rockefellers donated the land the UN sits on…no globalists there. heh
so far political experience has left us with massive and unpayable debt. we need less political experience and more real experience.
yah, with the long history of NDPee in Manitoba and saskabush, and the idiots in BC, and now nutly in Alerta, we did it. Go grow a brain wood ja
butt strad, are they gay or not, that should be the question a bipshit like you should ask
I dunno if they’re happy…:-)
Usually … when I hear Rothschild and Rockefeller used in the same sentence … Bilderberg and The Illuminati aren’t far behind. Smh.
Yeah but, we’ve learned our lesson, unlike you easterners who think doing the same thing over and over will get a different result. Do you have a death wish for this country or what?
1. “In contrast to many functionaries I did not throw my (Communist Party) membership card away or burn it in public. I still keep it at home,” Vladimir Putin
2. President Vladimir Putin in 2004, on the 90th anniversary of Andropov’s birth, dedicated a new intelligence school to his old boss, Andropov. He also began several scholarships for students wanting to train in the intelligence field in the name of Andropov.
Samuel W. Coulbourn, US Naval Attache, Embassy Moscow
By appointing a left wing progressive?
Tillerson is not only a global warming nut but he’s a big supporter of the gay boy scouts and Planned Parenthood.
And we’re all just supposed to shut up and tow the line?
Up yours!
Mark Levin SHREDS pro-Putin, global warming alarmist Rex Tillerson – See more at: https://www.conservativereview.com/commentary/2016/12/mark-levin-shreds-trump-secretary-of-state-pick-rex-tillerson?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=121516crcontentemail&utm_campaign=newslettertraffic#sthash.2YiRdOyP.dpuf
The philosophy of the Boy Scouts, God, community, and self is something that we should all strive for, as for gays belonging to the Boy Scouts, why are you against that? You should try to find it in your heart to be more accepting of others.
“And we’re all just supposed to shut up and tow the line?” And isn’t that what the republican leadership said to the voters about their choice of both McCain and Romney?
I don’t attack someone for being gay. What I do attack is the encouragement of that lifestyle which what this does. All in the name of “acceptance”. I can accept the person but not the act. If you’re a Christian then you should agree with this.
“And isn’t that what the republican leadership said to the voters about their choice of both McCain and Romney?”
You are absolutely right, but that wasn’t my point.
I’m tired of this suck it up you lost attitude and excuse argument, and I was calling it out.
If one sees something wrong, speak up, and there is something wrong with Tillerson.
maybe, butt we know there’s lot wrong with bible bangers
I don’t understand the “encouragement of that lifestyle,” they are who they are. And what is wrong with T Rex?
Honestly nothing at all providing his own personal ideologies do not interfere with the job to which he was assigned.
For example if his belief in anthropogenic global warming play a major role in how he makes decisions and does business, then I’ve got a problem.
I don’t care what he thinks of global warming, i don’t think that was why he was recruited. Now the guy that was nominated to run the EPA, he’s the guy the global warmists’ should be worried about.