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United States
Opinion

Rex Tillerson was fired for failing to check the Russian offensive, not because of politics

Hugh Dugan says the back-and-forth bickering between Tillerson and Trump should not hide the fact that the outgoing secretary of state was ineffective at his job, as evidenced by the mounting threat of Russia

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Departing US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson steps away from the podium after speaking at the State Department in Washington on March 13. Tillerson’s time at the State Department was marked by contentious ties with his boss, President Donald Trump, and the depletion of the agency’s upper-level positions. Photo: AP
Hugh Dugan

Outgoing US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has been in the morgue for over six months. When I say morgue, I refer to the place where journalists store their draft obituaries on the rich and powerful, putting them on ice until the actual death occurs. The need to be quick to publish requires it.

But Tillerson was slow in moving towards a career death that was self-inflicted. Like a smoker, he committed suicide on the instalment plan. His personal and political differences with President Donald Trump fired up with regularity, and often on camera. Finally, the president had to act. Like most tobacco addicts, Tillerson refused to take the hints. He succumbed suddenly to the stroke of a blindsiding tweet.

Was Tillerson a wrong fit from the start, or did it happen over time? Trump did not have a television season of 13 weeks to hire his “apprentice” secretary of state.

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As the most senior member of the cabinet, the secretary of state is fourth in line of succession to the presidency, and the most senior non-elected official in the federal government. Its face needs to vibe with the people’s choice in the Oval Office.

Mike Pompeo, lined up as next US secretary of state, is tough-talking ex-soldier who earned Trump’s trust

In his search, I believe Trump looked for a relationship manager above all else. His secretary of state would prep the deals, maintain interest and arrange for the president to do the “closing”. Tillerson would be the adult in the room with troublesome world figures, one who understood the grit of business, resources and power. Tillerson’s Rolodex groaned under the names of titans of industry and foreign heads of state such as Russian President Vladimir Putin. Tillerson would manage the testy relationship with Russia like no other, thought Trump.
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