Weakening America- Trump Dump at the Department of State

Weakening America- Trump Dump at the Department of State

TIME TO ASK WHY? - we have wrecked the State Department and it precious strategic resources.

Ambassador Stephenson of the Foreign Service Association has written an eloquent call for help- I must join with her strong voice-  time to ask why?

As a young law student in Washington DC, I saw first-hand the powerful draw to public service that has blessed this Nation over its history. Millions of Americans have put their career ambitions for achievement and personal satisfaction into public service. The Department of State was a magnet for elite American talent. Many top scholars and young executives competed by the thousands for the few foreign service openings available each year. One friend, dedicated her days to the task. A graduate of Stanford with honors and Masters—she had failed the final cut and for the following year did little else but prepare to redo.

Rachel Maddow did a segment on the decimation at State. She recently and noted that when Hillary Clinton joined the Obama administration nearly 17,000 applicants queued up for about 500 slots. As Rachel Maddow pointed out, the policy was clear- the US Diplomatic presence around the world was a key element of projecting US economic, cultural, and political power. It reasoned correctly, that the military role usually involves hostilities and conquest; there simply are far more US interests than military conflict can or should solve.

 Today, the US interest around the globe need a vigorous defense and a strong presence. Yet rather than building, we are in the depths of a purge of career talent at the Department of State. It is a deliberate, systematic weakening of the US presence around the world.

By an unprecedented level of reduction, we surrender the diplomatic arena to adversaries of democracy and adversaries of the US. As with nearly every Trump policy- from arming the mentally ill, celebrating the KKK, failing to carry out Russia sanctions,  promoting the use of silencers in the aftermath of the Las Vegas slaughter, to banning travel from our ally Chad- these actions weaken America.

The pattern observed in January 2017 continues to the present. One -sometimes insipid- step at a time- the Trump drumbeat has been a systematic march towards self-dealing and deprecation of US interests. The Trump Administration has given the Putin- regime the victories it has long sought, and the Trump people are not done yet.