The New York Times’ Peter Baker reports White House plans are underway to accept SecState Tillerson’s resignation sometime early next year, and replace him with CIA Director Mike Pompeo. If Baker’s intelligence is on the level, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR, no relation) will then take over the CIA directorship.
For those of us who’ve been paying attention, Tillerson and the President have often seemed to be of different opinions on important foreign affairs matters. This suggests Tillerson really doesn’t understand the SecState role.
PolySci Minilecture: In the executive branch, the President is the CEO, cabinet secretaries are his principal subordinates. They exist to manage their department and carry out the President’s policies. They have a right to be listened to, but no right to make policy with which the President disagrees. As in industry, a principal subordinate who disagrees with the boss has exactly two choices: enthusiastically advocate and implement presidential policy regardless of personal opinion, or resign.
One way or another, it appears we see this second option ripening, which suggests option one has become unpalatable. Perhaps Tillerson thought he could do it, maybe he was misled as to how much weight his opinions would be given. Honestly, it isn’t easy for a former CEO like Tillerson to be comfortable as second banana, especially to a flamboyant and opinionated boss like Trump.
