Rexit? Don't quit yet Secretary Tillerson (Opinion)
Rex Tillerson
(CNN) This past weekend at the Aspen Security Forum  the rumor mill was working overtime on the idea that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was seriously considering resigning   if not immediately then by the end of the year.
We have written a number of pieces about  Tillerson 's travails -- some self-inflicted but most undeniably a result of the stunningly idiosyncratic and harmful way the President's statements and tweets have gummed up the foreign policy machinery.
 Tillerson  has indeed had a rough time. Having worked for and seen our fair share of secretaries of state come and go  we've never witnessed anything like this. Usually a president will designate the secretary of state as his voice and the key repository of authority on foreign policy. And whether the President chooses to empower the nation's top diplomat on the big issues somewhat (Hillary Clinton) or all the way (Jim Baker)  the secretary is the primary adviser to the President on foreign policy.
We understand  Tillerson 's frustrations. But we'd also respectfully argue that    however stacked the deck may be against  him    Tillerson  shouldn't quit. And here's why.
And to do so   Tillerson  would need a very compelling reason that would not only make sense to  him   but would also protect  his  public reputation and credibility. Vance left because of his profound opposition to Carter's decision to launch an almost certainly doomed military mission to rescue the American hostages in Iran. Frustration with the bureaucracy  unhappiness with the President's governing style or pique over a backbiting White House just aren't compelling reasons commensurate with the status of the job.
Right now  based on everything we know   Tillerson  just doesn't have one such reason. And an early out  particularly for a guy who took the job claiming he wanted to serve his country  would damage his reputation and add a sad coda to the end of his State Department stewardship.
It's true that the headlines for  Tillerson  don't look all that good. He may have a great deal of contact with the President and have been the one Trump chose to attend the meeting with Putin on the margins at the G20  but unless the President makes it clear that the Secretary is his main adviser on some issue and  Tillerson  steps up to take charge of it  he's not going to be seen as having much influence.
 Tillerson  has a small army behind  him  to put out diplomatic fires and manage crises. But like any good general  to achieve the mission  he  needs to delegate authority and trust  his  subordinates.
It's not just that  Tillerson  has been undercut from above;  he  has also not been well served from below  but this is a self-inflicted wound. The secretary is squandering his most precious asset -- the immensely talented  intelligent  experienced  hardworking and capable people who man the trenches at Foggy Bottom.
News flash: the bureaucracy at State is not the enemy  so  Tillerson  should stop treating it like one.  He 's trying to run the department in a highly centralized and tightly controlled manner like Jim Baker. It worked for Baker because  he  had the horsepower in  his  inner circle.  Tillerson  is not as fortunate.
Instead   he  should emulate the more decentralized and inclusive management model of George Shultz  who empowered the other senior officials in the department to take the initiative and backed them 100% even when they stumbled. If  Tillerson  gives these officials the authority  support and tools they need to do their job  they will help  him  and the department to be more effective.
 His  successor could be worse
As ineffectual  at times  as  Tillerson  has been  it cannot be assumed that things couldn't get any worse under new management. For all his stumbles  the Secretary of State has gotten a few big things right. He has  for example  been a soothing voice in reassuring US allies  particularly Japan and South Korea of America's defense commitments. He has developed a good relationship with Secretary of Defense James Mattis -- and on some issues (even though he's lost on a couple  like US withdrawal from the Paris accord on climate change)  he has moderated some of Trump's worst instincts  such as walking away from the nuclear deal with Iran. He's also talked tough on maintaining existing sanctions on Russia  which may have helped stiffen the President's resolve as well.
There's no guarantee that his successor will play well with others  hand-hold the allies rather than throw bombs at them or elevate diplomacy  engagement and dialogue with difficult countries rather than adopt confrontational policies that offer little prospect for success but significant risks of escalation. For all those who hope to wish Tillerson an early and happy retirement  be careful what you wish for    especially if  his  successor is more ideological and combative and less pragmatic than the more even-keeled Tillerson.
 Tillerson  does not have a small ego.  He  doesn't want to be the answer to the question in a game of Trivial Pursuit of which Secretary of State holds the record for the shortest tenure in the modern era. And from  his  many years as a world class negotiator   he  should have a sixth sense for when to hold and when to fold. Now is not the time to fold.
(CNN) This past weekend at the Aspen Security Forum  the rumor mill was working overtime on the idea that [TGT] was seriously considering resigning   if not immediately then by the end of the year.
We have written a number of pieces about  Tillerson 's travails -- some self-inflicted but most undeniably a result of the stunningly idiosyncratic and harmful way the President's statements and tweets have gummed up the foreign policy machinery.
 [TGT]has indeed had a rough time. Having worked for and seen our fair share of secretaries of state come and go  we've never witnessed anything like this. Usually a president will designate the secretary of state as his voice and the key repository of authority on foreign policy. And whether the President chooses to empower the nation's top diplomat on the big issues somewhat (Hillary Clinton) or all the way (Jim Baker)  the secretary is the primary adviser to the President on foreign policy.
We understand  Tillerson 's frustrations. But we'd also respectfully argue that    however stacked the deck may be against  him    [TGT]shouldn't quit. And here's why.
And to do so   [TGT]would need a very compelling reason that would not only make sense to  [TGT]   but would also protect  [TGT]  public reputation and credibility. Vance left because of his profound opposition to Carter's decision to launch an almost certainly doomed military mission to rescue the American hostages in Iran. Frustration with the bureaucracy  unhappiness with the President's governing style or pique over a backbiting White House just aren't compelling reasons commensurate with the status of the job.
Right now  based on everything we know   Tillerson  just doesn't have one such reason. And an early out  particularly for a guy who took the job claiming he wanted to serve his country  would damage his reputation and add a sad coda to the end of his State Department stewardship.
It's true that the headlines for [TGT]don't look all that good. [TGT] may have a great deal of contact with the President and have been the one Trump chose to attend the meeting with Putin on the margins at the G20  but unless the President makes it clear that the Secretary is his main adviser on some issue and  [TGT]steps up to take charge of it  he's not going to be seen as having much influence.
 [TGT]has a small army behind  him  to put out diplomatic fires and manage crises. But like any good general  to achieve the mission  [TGT]  needs to delegate authority and trust  [TGT]  subordinates.
It's not just that  [TGT]has been undercut from above;  [TGT]  has also not been well served from below  but this is a self-inflicted wound. The secretary is squandering his most precious asset -- the immensely talented  intelligent  experienced  hardworking and capable people who man the trenches at Foggy Bottom.
News flash: the bureaucracy at State is not the enemy  so  [TGT]should stop treating it like one.  [TGT] 's trying to run the department in a highly centralized and tightly controlled manner like Jim Baker. It worked for Baker because  [TGT]  had the horsepower in  [TGT]  inner circle.  [TGT]is not as fortunate.
Instead   [TGT]  should emulate the more decentralized and inclusive management model of George Shultz  who empowered the other senior officials in the department to take the initiative and backed them 100% even when they stumbled. If  [TGT]gives these officials the authority  support and tools they need to do their job  they will help  him  and the department to be more effective.
 His  successor could be worse
As ineffectual  at times  as  [TGT]has been  it cannot be assumed that things couldn't get any worse under new management. For all his stumbles  the Secretary of State has gotten a few big things right. He has  for example  been a soothing voice in reassuring US allies  particularly Japan and South Korea of America's defense commitments. He has developed a good relationship with Secretary of Defense James Mattis -- and on some issues (even though he's lost on a couple  like US withdrawal from the Paris accord on climate change)  he has moderated some of Trump's worst instincts  such as walking away from the nuclear deal with Iran. He's also talked tough on maintaining existing sanctions on Russia  which may have helped stiffen the President's resolve as well.
There's no guarantee that his successor will play well with others  hand-hold the allies rather than throw bombs at them or elevate diplomacy  engagement and dialogue with difficult countries rather than adopt confrontational policies that offer little prospect for success but significant risks of escalation. For all those who hope to wish Tillerson an early and happy retirement  be careful what you wish for    especially if [TGT][TGT]  successor is more ideological and combative and less pragmatic than the more even-keeled Tillerson.
 Tillerson  does not have a small ego.  He  doesn't want to be the answer to the question in a game of Trivial Pursuit of which Secretary of State holds the record for the shortest tenure in the modern era. And from  his  many years as a world class negotiator   he  should have a sixth sense for when to hold and when to fold. Now is not the time to fold.