American Greatness: President Trump enjoys strong grassroots Republican voter support for his campaign promise to move United States foreign policy away from the interventionism exemplified by the Bush-Cheney years. Finding support for that promise among voters was one thing. Finding it among the Republican foreign policy clerisy and GOP establishment officeholders is another matter. Often Trump’s own vice president, Mike Pence, is in the establishment camp.
In 2017, in a forceful move to spur the president to send troops into Afghanistan, Pence reportedly aligned with establishment and neoconservative factions, joining now-departed establishment figures including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary James Mattis, and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster.
Pence again showed affinity for “the way things are done around here” when, also in 2017, he appointed then-U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley’s pollster and chief political adviser—an inveterate NeverTrumper named Jon Lerner—as his own national security adviser. One day after the appointment, a wrathful President Trump forced Lerner out.
Pence also is taking an extremely high profile in the neoconservatives’ “all options are on the table” project to bring about American-led regime change in Venezuela. While the current socialist regime led by Nicolás Maduro undoubtedly is evil and a genuine change would be in American interests, it’s prudent to keep the United States from being closely identified as the patron of a new client regime that has poor chances of succeeding.
Pence therefore should have been rattled—and Trump rattled all the more so—by reports leaked from last weekend’s “off-the-record” confab hosted by the American Enterprise Institute for politicos and big donors.
In a session where Pence shared the stage with former Vice President Dick Cheney, whose role was to pose questions to his Republican successor, Cheney confronted Pence with undisguised asperity. Cheney complained, in remarks leaked to the Washington Post and others, that Trump’s efforts to distance himself from the Bush-Cheney record in the Middle East means “we have an administration that looks a lot more like Barack Obama than Ronald Reagan.”
For Pence, this should have been a bitter lesson that promoting neoconservative policies within the Trump Administration will not shield him from the hostility of the NeverTrumpers. more here
It’s possible that Pence is a better guy than what my impression of him is. If there was someone else on the 2020 ticket I wouldn’t have a problem with it.
maybe Trump will fire pence and hire one of the firebrand R’s from the House to be his running mate..
Dan Crenshaw? Groom him for 2024?
neoconservatives – neocons – are poison, they need to GTFO, and Orange-Man knows that.
President Trump has not disappointed, when you look at what he’s done-despite long odds and multiple adversaries.
Don’t listen to what anyone says about him, look at what he’s done. If you were to believe what they say, everything was just peachy and on the right track in this country before a boorish man broke through.
As much as I like Cheney’s candor, he is also despicable: a career politician with at best a very spotty history. Starting as a drunken vandal in his youth. Can he defend a TRILLION dollars and all the heroes lost in fucking Afghanistan, for what exactly?
I supported Mr Trump for President BECAUSE he was not a politician. The politicians in my long lifetime, of all ‘stripes’ and reputations, continue to demonstrate in turns, absolutely why Mr Trump is the right man for the right time.
He is larger than life, most certainly larger than all his contemporaries. And his patriotism is as clear as his disdain for America’s enemies and betrayers.
Mr Cheney’s daughter seems to understand this President better.
I think Pence was picked to sway the Evangelical vote. Without him in 2016 Trump might not have won.
I agree, Joe6.
Every time I hear someone hoping for 8 years of Pence after 8 years of Trump, I cringe. I’m pretty sure he’s a decent enough guy, but I can see him giving away the store to the Democrats, every time it’s go to the mattresses time. And by the looks of things, that’s all we’re gonna have for the foreseeable future.
Reagan gave us Bush, and I’ve ALWAYS suspected Pence is just as bad.
I have a feeling that by the end of this year, Pence will decide to spend more time with his family. More to be done with the ankle-biting Nevertrumpers and neocons than to distance himself from Trump.
And correct me if I’m wrong, but weren’t all of these assholes screeching that raging Trump would start WWIII? And didn’t they all keep their mouths shut while Barky bowed and scraped and back-stabbed his way around the world for eight years?
It takes a lot of guts to do what POTUS Trump does. Can’t think of anyone else who does it with such flair and enjoys it as much as he does. I can’t wait for the 2020 run-up. The stump speeches are going to be awesome. You’d think Pence would understand the mood and mindset of Trump’s vast and growing base. But he doesn’t have the intestinal fortitude our president has.
Race Bannon needs to stick to flying Doctor Quests’ plane.
Never understood why he chose Pence. The guy is too meek and jelly spined. As governor he quickly buckled when he got some heat. He’s too careful and measured and not the type to take a strong stand.
He’s not who I want on the ticket for the next four years.
The left hates Pence.
Pence is a church mouse, compared to Trump being the in your face eye poker everyone dreams they could be. lol!
Pence tones down Trump somewhat (not really, but in the churchy voters’ eyes, maybe)
Plus, again, the left hates Pence. So either way, president Trump, president Pence, the left would be unhappy. So Pence has that going for him. 😀
As for Pence still being a little friendly with the RINOs he’s known from long ago-
Don’t look back, dude. Pillar of Salt. You only look back if you miss the mess that you are running from.