With North Korea sending out feelers in recent days about the possibility of direct talks with the US, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson struck a conciliatory tone Tuesday, saying the US is now also ready for talks with North Korea with no preconditions.
The White House apparently wasn’t too happy with that, and today went to a very public point of issuing a correction to Tillerson’s statement, insisting that the US very much is not ready for talks with North Korea.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huakabee-Sanders insisted President Trump’s position on North Korea hasn’t changed, and that he still believes any negotiations with the country are “pointless.”
This was not the first time the White House overruled Tillerson, nominally America’s chief diplomat, on matters of diplomacy, and indeed President Trump has repeatedly singled out Tillerson for ridicule surrounding talks with North Korea, insisting he is “wasting his time,” and that North Korea “only understands on thing.”
North Korea’s advancing missile program seemingly makes a unilateral US attack on them too risky, likely provoking a devastating nuclear retaliation, though President Trump’s very public aversion of actual diplomacy with the country appears to be as solid as ever.
It’s so clear that Trump desperately wants war. i had a feeling this put down of Tillerson was coming. After being undermined so many times by his boss, i’m surprised Tillerson doesn’t resign. Maybe he’s trying to keep Pompeo from replacing him.
I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that the Orange One is attempting to force Tillerson to resign instead of firing him – that way the onus is on Tillerson for “quitting” and not Trump for making a bad choice by picking Tillerson. It’s all about saving face – which Trump is finding harder and harder to manage.
war abroad saved many a’ president from the difficulties of home..Rah rah support das troopers kiddies…
The one hopeful sign from this administration
Squashed
I’m thinking that Trump’s inner circle, composed of Neocons, Zionists, and generals, are content to let Tillerson do his little chief diplomat thingy while actual foreign policy strategizing will be conducted by them. Their intent is to drive us into another war, this time a catastrophic one with either Iran, North Korea, or better yet, Russia.
Just remember, Japan and the USA were engaged in “peace” negotiations in Washington when the Pearl Harbor attack happened.
agree with the first sentence. the US policy is not to have a war, that would take money away from the Buck Rodgers whiz bang stuff that the MIC is able to create billable hours for, Nope DC is out to cause problems for every other outfit; Russia, China, Iran, Europe, any place with energy etc.
its my guess that the US bullying of North Korea is to make China either face a tsunami of North Koreans coming over the border to escape the US Bombing or have to invade to forestall that North Korean assault on Seoul.
Tillerson will be replaced by someone even closer to the murderous mindset of the POTUS and so many Repugs (like Lindsey Graham) and also Dems. Anyone with the slightest sense of history, of science, of commonsense, of ANY HUMAN FEELINGS can see that NK is NOT wanting war, but respect.
The hubris of the USA, not just under this maladministration, is breathtaking.
Americans need to have their plans in place at this point. North Korea said today it would attack American vessels acting in a blockade. If that happens, Congress will declare war and our lives will be impacted. Good luck everyone.
They need to make a documentary on this as we evidently appear to be planning a war. Every administration in the world (other than Trumps) is recommending talks.
The biggest problem is that Trump and his minions really, really hate to be told what to do…by anyone….whether the advice is useful or not.