Noxious Nominations: The Four Horsemen of the American Foreign Policy Apocalypse
I did a lot of soul-searching before writing my latest article, “After the Fall: What Do You Do When You Conclude America is (Temporarily or Permanently) Kaput?” Of course, I believed every word of it and have done so for a while. But would it depress readers too much? Would it just be too grim?
Maybe U.S. policy will just muddle through the next four years and beyond without any disasters. Perhaps the world will be spared big crises. Possibly the fact that there isn’t some single big superpower enemy seeking world domination will keep things contained.
Perhaps that is true. Yet within hours after its publication I concluded that I hadn’t been too pessimistic. The cause of that reaction is the breaking story that not only will Senator John Kerry be the new secretary of state; that not only will the equally reprehensible former Senator Chuck Hagel be secretary of defense; but that John Brennan, the president’s counterterrorism advisor, will become CIA chief.
About two years ago I joked that if Kerry were to become secretary of state it would be time to think about heading for that fallout shelter in New Zealand. This trio in power — which along with Obama himself could be called the four horseman of the Apocalypse for U.S. foreign policy — might require an interstellar journey.
Let me stress that this is not really about Israel. At the end of Obama’s second term, U.S.-Israel relations will probably be roughly where they are now. Palestinian strategy — both by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas — has left the United States no diplomatic or “peace process” option on that front. The problem is one of eroding U.S. interests, especially the American position in the Middle East but also in other parts of the world.
You can read elsewhere details about these three guys. Here, I will merely summarize the two basic problems:
–Their ideas and views are horrible. This is especially so on Middle Eastern issues, but how good are they on anything else? True, they are all hostile to Israel, but this isn’t the first time people who think that way have held high office. Far worse is that they are pro-Islamist as well as dim-witted about U.S. interests in a way no foreign policy team has been in the century since America walked onto the world stage.
Brennan is no less than the father of the pro-Islamist policy. What Obama is saying is this: My policy of backing Islamists has worked so well, including in Egypt, that we need to do even more! All those analogies to 1930s appeasement are an understatement. Nobody in the British leadership said, “I have a great idea. Let’s help fascist regimes take power and then they’ll be our friends and become more moderate!” That’s the equivalent of what Brennan does.
–They are all stupid people. Some friends said I shouldn’t write this because it is a subjective judgment and sounds mean-spirited. But honest, it’s true. Nobody would ever say that their predecessors — Hillary Clinton, Robert Gates, and David Petraeus — were not intelligent and accomplished. But these guys are simply not in that category. Smart people can make bad judgments; regular people with common sense often make bad judgments less often. But stupid, arrogant people with terrible ideas are a disaster.
Brennan’s only life accomplishment has been to propose backing radical Islamists. As a reward, he isn’t just being made head of intelligence for the Middle East but for the whole world! Has Brennan any proven administrative skill? Any knowledge of other parts of the world? No. All he has is a proximity to Obama and a very bad policy concept. What’s especially ironic here is that by now, the Islamist policy has clearly failed and a lot of people are having second thoughts.
With Brennan running the CIA, though, do you think there will be critical intelligence evaluations of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hizballah, or even Hamas? Is the CIA going to warn U.S. leaders about the repression against women, Christians, and moderates? Will there be warnings that Islamists are taking over Syria or reports on Islamist involvement in killing Americans in Benghazi? Can we have confidence about U.S. policy toward Iran?
To get some insight into his thinking, consider the incident in which a left-wing reporter, forgetting there were people listening, reminded Brennan that in an earlier private conversation he admitted favoring engagement not only with the Lebanese terrorist group Hizballah, but also the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. Ask yourself this question: when an American intelligence chief told Congress that the Muslim Brotherhood was a moderate, secular group, who approved that line of argument?
Kerry, of course, was the most energetic backer of sponsoring Syrian dictator Bashir al-Assad before the revolt began. Now he will be the most energetic backer of putting the Muslim Brotherhood into power in Syria. Here is a man who once generalized about American soldiers in Vietnam as being baby-killers and torturers (such things certainly happened but Kerry, made the blame collective, except for himself of course).
As for Hagel, suffice it to say that the embarrassing quotes and actions from him in the past — including his opposition to sanctions against Iran — fueled a response to his proposed nomination so strong that the administration had to back down for a while.
What would have happened if President Harry Truman turned over American defense, diplomacy, and intelligence in 1946 to those who said that Stalin wanted peace and that Communist rule in Central Europe was a good thing?
Obama has been president of the United States for four years. Yet in foreign policy, having some decent and competent people in high positions mitigated the damage. Well, the reins are now loosed; the muzzle is off.
I apologize for being so pessimistic, but look at the cast of characters. When it comes to Obama administration foreign policy’s damage on the world and on U.S. interests, one can only say, like the great singer Al Jolson, folks, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
To get a sense of his thinking, check out Brennan’s article, “The Conundrum of Iran: Strengthening Moderates without Acquiescing to Belligerence,” Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 618, Terrorism: What the Next President Will Face (Jul., 2008), pp. 168-179. Here’s the conclusion:
If the United States actually demonstrates that it will work to help advance rather than thwart Iranian interests, the course of Iranian politics as well as the future of U.S.-Iranian relations could be forever altered.
The Obama administration followed this advice during its first two years with the result being total failure. The theme of the 2008 article carries over to his view of the Muslim Brotherhood. If the United States shows it is friendly, helpful, and does not oppose their taking power, then revolutionary Islamists will become moderate.
For example, he also proposes a U.S. policy “to tolerate, and even to encourage, greater assimilation of Hezbollah into Lebanon’s political system….” This step, he suggests, will reduce “the influence of violent extremists in the organization.”
Of course, Hizballah does not need to stage terrorist attacks if it holds state power! Terrorism is only a tactic to seize control of countries. If you give revolutionaries their goal, then why do they need to continue using such a tactic? Yet putting them in power does not increase stability, improve the lives of people, or benefit U.S. interests. If al-Qaeda, for example, overthrew the Iraqi or Saudi government, you would see a sharp decline in terrorist attacks! If the Muslim Brotherhood rules Egypt, Tunisia, or Syria, it doesn’t need to send suicide bombers into the marketplaces.
The same, by the way, would apply to anywhere else in the world. If Communist rebels took power in Latin American or Asian countries, you wouldn’t find them hanging out in the jungles raiding isolated villages.
In Brennan’s terms, that means the problem would be solved. Instead, the correct response is parallel to Winston Churchill’s point in his 1946 Fulton, Missouri, speech: “I do not believe that Soviet Russia desires war. What they desire is the fruits of war and the indefinite expansion of their power and doctrines.”
This is what Brennan — and the Obama administration — fails to understand regarding this point. The danger is not terrorism but a dangerous revolutionary movement that becomes even more dangerous if it controls entire states, their resources, and their military forces.
Brennan talks about Iranian interests without any clear statement of what he “thinks” those interests are. Then he puts forth the idea that when hizballah and hamas are in power the in country terrorism will cease, but neglects their clear history of exporting terrorism as soon as they achieve control at home. He carefully excludes the Christian populations in these country from any consideration much as i ignore the tiny populations of Jews. My reason is that they should have escaped generations ago and persist in a suicide pact by remaining. All muslims are sworn to kill all the Jews sooner or later. When do they think sooner or later is and where would they run to. As a tiny minority, fighting is not an option. Rubin uses the word clueless and it was a good choice.
U.S. Attorney’s office protected Rezko friend Dr. Ronald Michael
http://illinoispaytoplay.com/2013/01/09/u-s-attorneys-office-protected-rezko-friend-dr-ronald-michael/
You are on the mark, Barry. But many of us are trapped in the U.S. We cannot escape to New Zealand or Malta. The U.S. is a passé power and we citizens are toast.
I hope you will remember us fondly from your sunny home on some happy island.
Obama understands all that perfectly.
That is the problem.
That “revolutionary movement” is … his ally in the demise of the evil american empire.
He has given North Africa to the muslim totalitarians, and that was only the first stage.
Now he needs a team of complete stupids to move further against America.
Dear Barry,
Shelter in New Zealand?
Will Queensland Australia do?
I just wanted to say that you are welcome to crash in my shelter downunder on the condition that you keep writing your enlighting articles.
Let’s call a spade a spade: BHO is the first post American president (quote from Mark Steyn). He will not rest until he destroys the traditional American idea. Believe it and weep.
Shelter is yours anytime Sir.
Really? Speaking of a real blunder how about the famous neocon war of shocking and awing Iraqis until they relent and be liberated. And doing all this during a weekend with 125 000 part time soldiers? Not to be forgotten, the cost: the Iraqis pay all this with their oil money as a payment for their gratitude for being shocked and awed to their liberation. Now, if this really is not a genius military strategy, I dont know what then. Barry Rubin and his neocon friends had come up with this fantastic idea of transforming middle east in the image of a right wing Likudnik. Barry, one of the brains behind this genius idea, declared that all roads go to Baghdad. What foresight! What acumen! What brain! Those wars bankrupted the US treasury, and demoralized the US military. Not to mention millions of lives upturned. Barry, when are you going to take responsibility for your terrible ideas?
I agree with Mr. Rubin that this country is in a state of collapse. But I also agree with your assessment as to why the collapse is happening. Mr. Rubin needs to ponder his own contributions to the catastrophe that has resulted in the election of the monster Hussein and the Marxocrats. I believe the historical record will show that the neocon foreign policy and feckless ROI that the Bushes and their cronies pursued during the first Iraq War and the subsequent “War On Terror” will have ultimately resulted in the fall of the Constitutional Republic of old. The titanic loss of blood and treasure that this country has squandered in foreign misadventures all over the globe for generations weakened us tremendously. The “War On Terror” was the final event that led to national bankruptcy and collapse. The era of both Bushes made the era of the monster Hussein possible. It is now over and done. The real unraveling of this benighted land now awaits….
Two claims that you and the previous poster have made are false. 1) Professor Rubin did not advocate going to war with Iraq. 2) He is not a “neo-con”. One of George Bush’s proposals (to gain support for a war against Iraq) was to turn Iraq into a democracy, through “nation building.” To my knowledge Professor Rubin did not propose nor encourage “nation building” — rather he argued for a timely withdrawal (not to overstay). For further info see Rubin Reports 14 Dec 2011 available on this website.
Even George Bush Jr., not the sharpest tack in the box, knew enough about how democracies are born to realize that Egypt did not have the ingredients for democracy. You cannot simply take people who have lived under military and theocratic dictatorship and say, Shazam! You are now free. These are people whose minds have been enslaved for generations. It is a corrupt place, a place of nepotism and bribery, where hard work is not rewarded and laziness is not punished, provided you were born male and into the right family. George Bush was playing with fire and I suspect he always knew that.
Prof.Rubin, no need to be apologetic about calling these guys stupid.
It’s not in the least mean-spirited, it’s just a statement of objective fact.
All we need now is the name of the new Treasury Secretary.
Just think, it has only been 8 weeks since the election, and look at what we have so far :
Hagel, Kerry, Brennan, Gun control, trillion dollar coin trick, fiscal cliff, debt limit, fiscal cliff part 4-5-6. That’s just in 8 weeks! We have 4 more years of this crap!
Oh, and the Prez of Egypt wants us to release that guy what planned the FIRST World Trade Center bombing.
I really don’t think we’re gonna survive four more years.
“I apologize for being so pessimistic”
In the years I’ve been reading your articles you’ve never been over-pessimistic. Your assessments have been either accurate or over-optimistic. Reality often turns out to be worse than you expected. So if you’re very worried I think I should be very very worried.
“At the end of Obama’s second term, U.S.-Israel relations will probably be roughly where they are now.”
I’m not sure Israel will still exist by the end of Obama’s second term. There are many things he can do to undermine us – things he can do in America, internationally, and using the UN behind the scenes. And congress proved to be often too weak to stop him when he’s determined. Obama is not a bystander or an isolationist, he’s actively pro-Muslim. His presidency is a gradual realignment of the USA, moving away from old allies, trying to win over old enemies. What the French did to us in the late 60s the Americans are doing to us now – they’re changing sides. But at least in the French case it was after the 67 war and we had several years of quiet to prepare. Then the US became our major ally and arms supplier. In the current case the process happens while Islamists are taking over in many places and America’s crucial moves might come in the midst of war. America has armed several of our enemies and former peace partners, and we depend on American resupply of amunition and spare parts to hold on in any war, which gives the Americans infinite leverage to demand whatever they want in return. Changing arms provider on short notice is very complicated and difficult, probably impossible, and even if succesful will make our weapons inferior to the American weapons of our enemies. And Iran will likely have nuclear weapons before the end of Obama’s second term.
We made a grave mistake allowing one power to become our almost exclusive arms supplier. We should have acquired also inferior, but cheaper, weapons from other sources, not all Western, and improve them, in addition to the American weapons. If we had started this process right after the fall of the USSR we might not have been in such a hot spot today. It was foolish to ally only with the West. The West, knowing we depend on them for our survival, point this loaded gun to our heads and feel they can do whatever they want with us. Now it might be too late to change course. But if we do survive Obama we must change course and never allow a situation like that to repeat itself.
“stupid, arrogant people with terrible ideas are a disaster.”
That pretty much describes the West in general today, IMO. Not all Westerners, of course – as you said, common people with common sense often make less bad judgments, but they are not the ones running the show. Western intelligentsia is completely bonkers, out of its mind, barking mad. They think turning their own societies into “multicultural” collections of conflicting minorities is a wonderful idea that will prevent any single group from being the cultural hegemon and therefore will create a balance of power that will end racism. They think Muslim mass immigration is a wonderful idea, and that Muslim contributions will enrich their societies just as much as Hindus and Buddhists because all cultures are equally good, and while adorably different, all cultures are simultaneously also pretty much the same. Their logic forces you to claim that every moral value is just as good as its exact opposite. Killing people for blasphemy is just as good as not killing people for blasphemy. Oppressing women is just as good as not oppressing women. Persecuting and killing religious minorities is just as good as not persecuting and killing religious minorities. Striving to institue sharia law is just as good as stiving for a democracy. And because every value is just as good as its opposite people whose values are the opposite of those professed in the West should be invited in large numbers to participate in transforming Western societies for the better. That will enrich Western culture. And if you’re not insane enough to agree you’re a racist. And the Euros believe that if they unite with their former colonies in the Near East they could recover their status as the world’s greatest superpower. So yes, they’re stupid and their ideas are terrible. And they’re arrogant too because while professing to believe all cultures are equally good, they simultaneously are also totally convinced in their own absolute superiority, believe they know everything, and that everyone else – in the world or in their own countries – is too primitive, stupid, ignorant and malevolent to run their own business or even have their opinions heard in any “legitimate” forum. The Obama Quartet is a result that reflects the general Western condition, and it’s likely to make very bad music.
Excellent comment –twenty years ago would’ve been a great piece of comedic satire, on style points. Now, like everything it’s just bleak –because, that’s all that’s left for it to be.
Israel’s future is not so bleak. Many of it’s weapons are home grown.they have good if covert relations with china,Russia and India. All ofnwhom can and will supply raw materials and/or weapons for the right price (technology transfer). I hope the Israelis are stockpiling munitions. I hope the recent trends towards greater Haredim participation in the army/ economy is not too little too late. The Israelis need time to let the Arab spring fully freeze over.that is why destroying iran’s nuclear capabilities is so critical.
The Israelies have several hundred nuclear warheads and the means of delivering them, independent of what the US does. Israel will not likely cease to be a country in the next 4 years, or if it does it’ll at least take the entire rest of the middle east with it.
Barack Obama’s record with appointments has been as problematical as his policies. Can you think of a single appointment of someone who has done an outstanding or even good job? Most are just avoiding trouble for illegal doings. These three choices: Kerry, Hagel and Brennan have obvious problems, widely pointed out, but I haven’t found any information on why these particular men should be put in these offices. What are the outstanding accomplishments that qualifies them for such posts? Sound of crickets…
We’ve got a lot of problems with foreign policy, and Obama has made a colossal mess of it in his first four years. There really is more to it than whether you call the bad guys terrorists or jihadists, and pussyfooting around about Muslim sensibilities. The Islamic countries kill Americans at every opportunity, chant death to America, death to Israel, and we worry about what to call them so we don’t offend anyone. Good Grief! Why are we sending F-16s to Egypt and supporting them with billions? We are killing ourselves and our country with truly stupid notions of multiculturalism and political correctness.
“But stupid, arrogant people with terrible ideas are a disaster.”
So true and yet, and yet, a majority of the Americans in the last election saw nothing wrong with what Obama was doing, saw nothing wrong with either his economic or foreign policies, and saw nothing wrong with his Middle Eastern policies (he even got a wide majority of the Jewish vote, which is really interesting given his track record with Israel).
So what are we to make of this? That the low information voters out there could really care less about what happens to Israel. As long as they get their food stamps, their welfare, their unemployment checks, their exorbitant student loans, and their union jobs, they’re just fine with the liberal Democrats. And THAT is the point.
What will change this support for the liberals? I hate to say it, but only another 9/11/2001 attack will make Americans take notice of foreign policy again. But, obviously, by that time it will be too late and we’ll have a lot of dead Americans on our hands. It is eerie how things are turning back to the 1930s, when appeasement was the name of the game and countries like Britain, France, and the United States basically just wished the world away, hoping that if we just gave the fascists what they wanted they would be nice to us. And how did that work out for them? It gave us World War II, the worst war this world has ever seen.
Only another major war or crisis (like Iran threatening to use a nuclear bomb) will make people pay attention to foreign policy, but it’s a shame that it has to come to that. And if we do have to fight yet another Middle Eastern war because of the lousy policies put forth by the Obama administration, I hope the current administration is happy with all the blood they will have on their hands for allowing this situation to spin out of control. Because THEY are never the ones who have to pay any price for failure. It is always our men and women in our military who are stuck with the job of cleaning up the mess. And that is just, plain, wrong. If the American voters are too stupid to see that, then they deserve what they get.
One would have thought that 9/11 (Twin Towers) would have alarmed the citizens to the evils of islamists for longer than 5-6 years. Do most Americans now have the attention span of a gnat? If they can’t be wary from that very recent incident, the histories of the atrocities of Hitler/WWII, Mao, Stalin/Lenin are surely off heir radar. I’m in disbelief at the stupidity of not just our “leaders”, but of much of the citizenry.
I was wondering then the “Four Horsemen of the American Apocalypse” would arrive. Now we know.
The only hope, as i see it, is a military coup d’tat –and the friggin sooner the friggin better.
….which of course, depending, may be the old jump from the frying pan into the fire.
How on earth did we let the frying pan or the fire become our only choice? Well, nevermind now. If we stay in the frying pan, there’s no hope of putting of the fire, we’ll just be cooked. If we jump into the fire, maybe we can stomp it out before it burns up the future. Me, i just have no idea of where to start my jump –i guess i could paint up an ‘end is near’ placard and go join the rest of the old fools doing likewise wandering around downtown Austin.
Where are the generals? Cincinatus saved Rome twice and then went back into retirement each time. Is there a Cincinatus somewhere in America?
They’re worried about getting purged –framed on MSM-overkill-coverage of meager everyday items blown up into evidence of moral turpitude and criminal negligence.
You left out Affordable Care Act and Patient Protection aka, RobertsTax.
Remember all of this is not about the betterment of the USA, but all the rats getting what they want before the ship goes down.
In the 1990′s, Pat Robertson wrote a book called “The End of the Age.” In it, a man was elected president who hated America and all that it stood for. As part of his plan to tear it down, he spent wildly and appointed people who shared his views and were the opposite of what was needed at their particular post: such as someone who hated the military as Sec Def, an America is wrong type as Sec State, etc.
The details are a bit hazy after all of these years, but in general it could be coming true. If so, things are going to get really nasty before long.
I appreciate Professor Rubin’s stark honesty — so few are willing to even acknowledge the current disaster in the White House. To put such people into power is criminal stupidity — if ever stupidity should become a crime! I just see horrific, dire consequences as the end result of this folly. (I still cannot get over the re-election of such an incompetent — good grief, another 4 years? He hasn’t even been sworn into office yet…)
I do not like Paleocons like Hagel, but I do not like the Neocons either. Both are traitors to America and seek to sell us out to Islamic interests.
I thought “neocons” were traitors because they weren’t selling us to Islamic interests enough. No pleasing some folks…
This Administration’s foreign policy is just an arm to enable their domestic policy, which can be described in 3 simple words, remember than well :
“Cull The Herd”.
interim: “Destroy The Deeds”
Sadly for America it’s pucker time.
referring to these doofuses as the 4 horsemen is an insult to armageddon
Great post. However, I may disagree with you about one item. To some extent, it is about Israel and U.S. foreign policy toward Israel.
When we look around the world, Israel stands as a shining beacon of peace, rationality, justice, economic progress, and individual liberty. Israel’s primary enemies are hateful primitivists who want to subject the entire world to an aberrant, irrational ideology.
Tragically, the current regime in the U.S. is promoting a cowardly capitulation to the Islamists and, thereby, contradicting all of the important values that made this nation great. The initial outcome of this capitulation is the betrayal of Israel. The ultimate outcome will be the disintegration of our country.
If the U.S. is not willing to stand by Israel at a time when threats to the values of reason, freedom, and justice are accumulating at a rapid pace, then the United States is not worth very much.
The apocalypse will probably occur over a long period of time. It may have dramatic, culminating events, but it will probably be defined by the accumulation of seemingly small compromises. The betrayal of Israel is simply a milestone toward the dissolution of everything that America once meant. The betrayal of Israel is, in fact, a betrayal of American values.
That’s right. Some may be through with Biblical truths about human nature, but that doesn’t mean Biblical truths about human nature are through with THEM.
Obama is feathering the arrow of our enemies, we will survive this,but we have given up this country to foreign interests and 4 years from now it will cost us dearly to dislodge this cancer.
If…IF…we can start to recover from Obama’s nonsense, it’ll be right smack into WWIII. Everything seems to be pointing that way. How can it be otherwise, telegraphing weakness and vacillation everywhere and emboldening your enemies?
I agree that they are stupid, yet they must have some skill that allowed them to rise through their hierarchies. Obama’s is the politic of ever-chaos. That always produces political opportunity.
Also please note that Hillary is not at all smart, IQ wise, imo. Her reputation has always been bigger than she, but she has an eye for much smarter loyalists and loyal thugs both.
…and has never, ever, encountered a ‘scruple’.
Since WWII American foreign policy has forfitted (lost) the military victories gained in six wars. The dim lights in the State Department have managed this dismal record of failure … and these nominees have records fully in accord with continuing the disasters.
Hagel and Kerry may be Vietnam veterans (as am I), but nothing in their respective records indicate that they learned anything that might provide constructive guidance to present day foreign affairs.
There is really no hope that something good will come from an Obama administration. And it is a really large problem when one considers how the Foggy Bottom gang managed to screw things up in spite of Republican Presidents. Dems cheer these dim lights on, and Republicans seem incapable of maintaning any meaningful oversight.
I don’t think that either of these four politicians harbor illusions regarding the stances they take and the position their foreign policy puts America in. In their minds, America is to be destroyed along with Israel. I dare you to find even one policy with which these people differ from the original German Nazi party. I think they are quite literally, Nazis. In the new Egypt that they seem to love so much Mohomad Morsi has just declared himself Pharaoh and usurped all governmental power. The Egyptian Nazi party now grows there.
Obama befriends the Muslim Brotherhood, the descendents of Hitler’s Muslim Waffen SS-Handschar division. Is it so surprising that a Muslim man raised in Indonesia by radical Communists would embrace such a racist, sexist, soul-destroying philosophy? They said it couldn’t happen here, but it can and it is. Let’s stop it. Let’s stop them. The first step is to publicly ridicule everything they do. The second is to get our children away from their dangerous influence.
We do need to start standing up to them. If the leading GOP do not, at least I can start laughing at some of the ridiculousness in front of those lib friends.
However, they didn’t seem to be interested in the straight forward truth before.
I could not more agree with you. And not lightly, either –i’ve studied the nazis ever since i was around six years old and came across photos of the starving children of the Warsaw ghetto. These folks are the real deal. I think most of them probably do not know it, but so what when the effect is the same.
Re the current hot issue, gun control, those who have not investigated the issue when the nazis were on the rise in 1930s Germany, the Weimar Republic –in response to the commie vs nazi street fighting crisis (even more directly manufactured than Hollywood and Swiss Farma doping and hypnotizing our most vulnerable young males and then simply waiting for the probablities to result), passed a gun registration law –with which Hitler is said to’ve been tickled at his ‘setback’.
When the nazis gained power, these registration lists were used to confiscate certain sets of ownership, amomg them urban Jews, whose guns were confiscated ‘for their (the Jews) own protection’. “Crystal Night” followed by a couple of days the completion of the confiscation program.
I’m wondering if Obama’s key appointments to Sec State, CIA, and Defense (and deliberately choosing stupid incompetents who are Arab apologists) — this wouldn’t have anything to do with Benghazi, would it? To ensure the cover-up is maintained?
Rubin misses the main reasons for these recommended appointments. Maybe they are too obvious:
1. To tick off Conservatives
2. Because only trash like these 4 would serve Obama.
Brenner even refers to Jerusalem as “Al Quds” for God’s sake! I am positive this makes him the PC choice of every Dem in the administration, plus Hagel.