Unscrupulous and aggressive, Pompeo plans to be the next Trump - but smarter

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

Unscrupulous and aggressive, Pompeo plans to be the next Trump – but smarter

The secretary of state has laid political booby traps for Biden in a diplomatic onslaught – with the aim of winning the White House

Simon Tisdall
Sun 17 Jan 2021 09.15 GMT

While all eyes are on Donald Trump and his Capitol Hill mob, a would-be heir and successor is running riot all by himself, storming citadels, wagging the flag and breaking china. No, it’s not Donald Jr, or Ivanka, or Ted Cruz, and certainly not poor, conflicted Mike Pence.

Mike Pompeo may not strike many people as presidential material. But Trump lowered the bar. Make no mistake. America’s snarly, bully-boy secretary of state is focusing not on Joe Biden’s inauguration this week but on how to beat him or any other Democrat in 2024.

Pompeo, the man who would be king, is playing political hunger games – and, looking ahead, he aims to win.

In a display of extraordinary chutzpah, Pompeo has spent the time since Trump lost the election setting booby traps and laying diplomatic minefields in global conflict zones. Partly he aims to secure his own and Trump’s “legacy”. Partly it’s to screw Biden. But mostly it’s about winning the White House.

Pompeo has upended established policies, adopted ultra-hardline positions, and claimed imaginary successes to advance his personal standing with the Trump rump. In fact, he’s trying to out-Trump Trump. Like him, he’s unscrupulous and aggressive, but here’s the difference: he’s not stupid.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jan/17/unscrupulous-and-aggressive-pompeo-plans-to-be-the-next-trump-but-smarter

[TreasonousBastard]

1. Dunno if it will work, but Pompeo is definitely smarter than Trump. But, so is Hawley...

and we see how that worked out.

[getagrip_already]

2. one small problem.....

if he was complicit in trumps quid pro quo in the ukraine, federal time might get in his way.

[njhoneybadger]

3. That's always been the Republican plan.

Pompeo and McConnell are the brains of this operation.

[NCDem47]

4. All Popmeo has is ambition.

He's second rate at the end-of-the day and he knows it.

I don't give much credence to him being able to rally a voting bloc.

[Turbineguy]

5. They'll never nominate him

he's not underqualified enough.

[wcmagumba]

6. As disgusting and unlikable as drump is he has what I call "negative charisma" ...

makes the traitorous criminals and rw morons love him, along with years of tv exposure and fake bad taste glitz...Pumpeo may be smarter but 0 charisma and none of that fake billionaire crap drump spews out, he's no drump (imo) so not likely to be able to take his place...

[Paladin]

7. Yet another idiot who hasn't noticed trump's shit smeared all over him.

Unlike trump, Pompeo will eventually notice the stains and stench.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

9. Get over yourself Pompousasseo

[machoneman]

10. Look, he's a loser already. When even Lichtenstein (sp) refused to see him as well as 3 other....

...E.U. countries on his last planned, but cancelled trip last week, he's toast in all the European capitols.

This highly speculative article could have better focused on his failures in the M.E. and elsewhere way before Trumpy's election loss. In fact, although he may have tried, I ain't buying any part of this waste of a story.

[pfitz59]

11. Pompeo is a "kiss up, kick down" guy

Probably why he ranked so high at West Point (the brass love knob polishers). The kind of 'leader' who would've been fragged in 'Nam. He will be undone by internal rot....