skews13
Diamond Member
- Mar 18, 2017
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Much has already been said about how it was unprecedented, inappropriate, and likely illegal for Pompeo to have addressed the convention in the way that he did. The norms preventing such speeches arose to keep the nation’s top diplomat out of partisan politics; the laws forbidding such speeches were enacted to draw important ethical lines between governance from politics.
What made Pompeo’s convention appearance worse, however, was that he gave the speech from the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem—an obvious pander to evangelical voters, since President Trump himself recently admitted that the relocation of the embassy was chiefly done to appease them. And worse still, Pompeo’s act risks making the U.S. relationship with Israel an even more polarized issue than it already is, which is dangerous both for U.S. interests in the Middle East and for Israel’s security.
He better hope like hell Trump wins again.
What made Pompeo’s convention appearance worse, however, was that he gave the speech from the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem—an obvious pander to evangelical voters, since President Trump himself recently admitted that the relocation of the embassy was chiefly done to appease them. And worse still, Pompeo’s act risks making the U.S. relationship with Israel an even more polarized issue than it already is, which is dangerous both for U.S. interests in the Middle East and for Israel’s security.
Pompeo’s RNC Speech Was Worse Than You Thought
He abandoned norms and likely violated the law—but the substance of his remarks was awful, too.
thebulwark.com
He better hope like hell Trump wins again.