Pompeo, saved by the skin of one’s teeth
By the skin of one’s teeth, as colloquially said, the nomination of Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State has just been accepted by the Committee on Foreign Relations of the United States Senate. At the last second legislator Rand Paul granted the vote to the former director of the CIA who could have become the first nominee for the position in not being accepted. Apparently, the former Director of CIA does not have many followers within the Senate, as he is considered a man of ultraconservative and harsh positions, in addition to being openly homophobic, but above all, a faithful representative of Donald Trump's foreign policy.
With 21 legislators, the final count in the vote taken by the Foreign Relations Committee of the US Senate was 11 to 9, in favor of Pompeo as Secretary of State.
An unexpected fact was also raised during the consultation; one of the votes had to be omitted because Republican lawmaker Johnny Isakson was not present. The regulation demanded the presidential vote, but it was agreed to negotiate with the party of the Democratic Party that one of its senators omitted its verdict, so that the recommendation could reach the plenary of the Senate. At the end, Christopher Coons agreed to omit his vote. However, he reiterated his opposition to Mr. Pompeo acceptance as nominee.
On the other hand, Rand Paul apparently reached a consensus, because he is known for his positions contrary to the interventionism of the United States in other countries, a position that could be strengthened with the representation of Pompeo at the head of the Secretary of State. According to what Rand told the press, President Trump has given the guarantees to analyze their views on interventionism, a fact that has calmed him down to support the nomination. The American press comments that Rand Paul proceeded this way just after Trump commented that the war in Iraq "was a mistake", besides recognizing that the "regime change destabilized the region" and the United States must "put an end to its involvement in Afghanistan."
Others who have also taken an unexpected turn are Democratic Senators Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota; Joe Manchin, from West Virginia; and Joe Donnelly, from Indiana, who despite being from Hillary's party voted in favor of Pompeo. It is not uncommon as Heidi Heitkamp and Joe Manchin aspire to their reelection in states in which Donald Trump won the election by a wide margin. Therefore, in front of their constituents, they must be presented as trustworthy followers of the president.
Prior to Pompeo his predecessor, Rex Tillerson, also did not obtain an overwhelming majority in the Approval Committee. Both politicians are characterized by being hard policy men that trace back to the United States of George W. Bush, who during his administration plunged the country into a deep crisis that even Donlad Trump is trying to solve, although he blamed Obama for it. In addition, both support Donald Trump’s craziness, although Tillerson, in his last days as Secretary of State, had irreconcilable differences with the president due to having opposing views on foreign policy on sensitive issues such as North Korea and Russia, just to mention.