Pompeo spent most of yesterday trying unsuccessfully to distance himself from the extreme right positions he has taken in the past. Nobody really believed him, and nobody should. He’ll be a terrible Secretary of State.
But what’s the alternative? Working for a boss whose Twitter eruptions are the very negation of diplomacy is a complete nightmare. James Baker’s not walking through the door. We have to take what we can get.
At the end of the day, he’ll be confirmed, because we need a Secretary of State during these troubled times, and he at least sees the value of repairing his crippled department. Better a minimally competent Trumpist than a vacuum and a daily blizzard of contradictions.
And if we need someone to play the bad cop more convincingly, Bolton’s already on the job.