Bob Corker appeared on Andrea Mitchell's show today to basically beg Democrats to confirm Mike Pompeo as Trump's Secretary of State. At the moment, Pompeo doesn't have enough votes to make it out of committee, and Corker has a sadz.
CORKER: Look, Secretary Clinton and Kerry were confirmed with 94 votes. You don't think they said things when running for president that Republicans disagreed with? I mean, come on. I mean, you and I both understand that Mike Pompeo is very -- who could know more about what's happening around the world than the director of the CIA? No one. He knows more about what is happening around the world than anybody here in Washington. This is -- we understand, I don't even want to give him a hard time, I just want to get him confirmed, but my friends, my Democratic friends, who know that the base, I hate that word, but the base if you will, view this as a proxy vote in support of Trump, obviously are finding ways to not vote for him. This is very much against any kind of tradition that we have had here. You know that. And there's nothing in Pompeo's past that, in any way, could possibly disqualify him from getting an up or down vote on the floor. And it should be overwhelming, but we just live in a hyperpartisan time....You don't want someone like Pompeo to go in with somebody like Secretary Mattis and ensure that the right kind of advice is given to our president who takes all kinds of input from all kinds of people at night and early in the morning?
Let's parse, shall we?
"who could know more about what's happening around the world than the director of the CIA?"
Well, knowledge is not exactly the only prerequisite for being confirmed. What he would do with that knowledge is very much up for scrutiny, and his war-monger tendency, combined with his anti-Muslim stances worry a lot of people. The company he keeps (Frank Gaffney, Jr.) doesn't exactly comfort us, either.
"...my Democratic friends, who know that the base, I hate that word, but the base if you will, view this as a proxy vote in support of Trump, obviously are finding ways to not vote for him. This is very much against any kind of tradition that we have had here."
Right. Because Republicans treated all of Obama's nominees so fairly when he tried to get anyone confirmed for anything at all. BWAH. Please. How many judgeships and were left unfilled because McTurtle wouldn't even bring them to the floor for a vote? Talk about finding ways not to vote for him...they didn't even HAVE A CHANCE not to vote for Obama's nominees. Please, Bob, spare me the tears. It's not against the tradition you've had. It IS the tradition Republicans CREATED.
"And there's nothing in Pompeo's past that, in any way, could possibly disqualify him from getting an up or down vote on the floor. And it should be overwhelming, but we just live in a hyperpartisan time..."
Two words. Neil Gorsuch.
"You don't want someone like Pompeo to go in with somebody like Secretary Mattis and ensure that the right kind of advice is given to our president who takes all kinds of input from all kinds of people at night and early in the morning?"
I thought we established that Sean Hannity is the only one he takes input from...
But, no, actually, I don't want Pompeo there. What I want is a government that hasn't devolved into the laughing stock of the free world, where Russia hadn't interfered in our election, where the majority of our population wasn't racist enough to respond to Republican dogwhistles, and the supremely qualified candidate ended up in the White House. I would settle for Republicans who actually showed their remorse for the situation they wrought by taking real steps to reign in President Vlad-licker by not approving appointments whose sole goal is to dismantle the entire government. Maybe taking steps to protect Robert Mueller and Rod Rosenstein. But hey, we don't all get what we want.
At least Andrea Mitchell called him on his remarks from last October:
MITCHELL: I mean, you said back in October that there was a lack of, it's a shame that the White House has become an adult day care center. Who is left looking after the president in the White House now? Now that Tillerson is gone, Kelly, disempowered, if you will, the president not listening to him, so other than Mattis, who is in charge of the adult day care?
CORKER: Well, look, the -- everything that was just said speaks to the fact Pompeo needs to be confirmed. By the way, I would think if you took a truth serum to people on both sides of the aisle, they would want to ensure that someone like Mike Pompeo is sitting at the table with the president and leading our diplomatic efforts. So I -- you know that, I know that, they know that. We're probably going to have a very tight vote. I hope and think he'll be confirmed.
In other words, "Democrats, we need you, the Republican party has devolved into de facto fascism, they care nothing about the rule of law, are completely entitled twatwaffles who are morally bankrupt, bald-faced liars, and hypocritical unfeeling cowards who allowed this party to embrace and be taken over by an irresponsible manbaby narcissist psycho ohmygod please help us we are so fucked."
