Is Pompeo Good For Israel and the USA?

Nadene Goldfoot                          

Mike Pompeo, born December 30, 1963
Head of CIA January 23, 2017
Harvard PhD, editor of Harvard Law Review with JD in 1994
Conservative Republican

"Having a secretary of state who does not conform to the State Department worldview “is very good for us,” Deputy Minister Michael Oren said."                                          

Michael Bornstein Oren (Hebrew: מיכאל אורן; born Michael Scott Bornstein; May 20, 1955) is an American-born Israeli historian, author, politician, former ambassador to the United States (2009–2013), and current member of the Knesset for the Kulanu party and Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Office

This must be in reference to the former Secretary of State of the USA, John Kerry, who made the horrible deal with Iran, stating it was a good deal.  As we look at his "good deal," it allows Israel to live without being bombed by an atomic bomb for about  the next 10 years at the best.  Iran is now in Syria which is right across the road from Israel and calling the shots for Assad.  Pompeo blames Obama for Iran's position to be closer to Israel now.  

An assignment  of North Korea with Kim Jong-un going very well

President Trump has chosen Michael Richard Pompeo as his new Secretary of State after not being really happy with Rex Tillerson.  He feels that Pompeo and he are thinking on the same lines, and Tillerson just didn't on important matters.  Mike was educated at West Point, 1st in his class and majored in mechanical engineering in 1986 and then served for 5 years in the US army as cavalry officer in East Germany, rising to Captain.

Trump has stated that Israel is very important to him.  This would mean that he also finds the Iran deal a mess.  Pompeo shares his thinking.  He had been against Kerry's Iran deal that Obama's administration backed.  Pompeo calls it a disastrous deal and that Iran is the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism.  He is not adverse to taking strong steps to stop Iran's goals of having nuclear capacity to harm others but with coalition allies if necessary.  

Pompeo and wife Susan with Mickey Rosenfeld, Israel's Police National Director 

Pompeo visited Israel in November 2015.  He stated that "Prime Minister Netanyahu is a true partner of the American people" and that "Netanyahu's efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons are incredibly admirable and deeply appreciated." He also stated that "In the fight against terrorism, cooperation between Israel and the United States has never been more important" and that "we must stand with our ally Israel and put a stop to terrorism. Ongoing attacks by the Palestinians serve only to distance the prospect of peace".  The surpise to me is that Pompeo was against moving the USA embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, a decision in 2017 which was a promise Trump had made.  

Pompeo has been a Senator from Kansas for 3 terms.  He was on the House Select Committee on Benghazi in 2012 and was sharply critical of Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's handling of this deadly attack.  He said that it was worse in some ways than Watergate's scandal.  As a former military-educated man, he saw the failure of leadership.  

Democrats are afraid of Pompeo, as they also fear Trump as they fear conservatism.  They weren't afraid of him becoming CIA Director, however, voting him in 66 for 33 against.  Under his direction, he in his short time pushed to expand espionage and covert operations that had lapsed.  Will his recent positive report on Kim Jong-un help him win over votes?  We'll soon see.  

Update: : Pompeo passed, thanks to Senator Rand Paul who changed his mind at the last minute and voted for him.  Pompeo is now officially the Secretary of State.  
Update:  
July 2018-I watched TV as senators quizzed Pompeo about Trump and the Russians, etc. and I was so proud of him.  He was fantastic and made senators who were being nasty look like fools compared to his replies and presence and bearing.  We have the very best in this man.  

Resource:  https://www.biography.com/people/mike-pompeo-121317
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Pompeo
http://www.jpost.com/American-Politics/Pompeo-very-positively-disposed-to-Israel-strong-critic-of-Iran-deal-545010
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Oren

Ambassador From USA Against Ambassador From Israel; Indyk and Oren on CNN

Nadene Goldfoot    
       

Dr. Martin Indyk b:July 1, 1951

                       

Fareed Zakaria

                                      

Dr.Michael Oren b: May 20, 1955

CNN had a heated discussion between Martin Indyk and Michael Oren this Sunday morning on the Fareed Zakaria TV program about Israel.  Indyk , born in London, England to Jewish parents,  had taken leave from the Brookings  Institution to serve as the U.S. Special Envoy for Israeli–Palestinian Negotiations from 2013 to 2014. Indyk served as United States ambassador to Israel and Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs during the Clinton Administration. 

Oren is an Israeli.  He is  an American-born Israeli  to Jewish parents, Goldstein and Ornstein; historian, author, politician, and former Israeli ambassador to the United States (2009-2013).  Today he serves in the Knesset.  New Jersey born,.  Oren's education came  from Princeton and Columbia.  

The two were sparring over Oren's newest book,  Ally: My Journey Across the American-Israeli Divide was published by Random House on June 23, 2015.  Indyk disagreed wholly with it as Oren criticized the Obama administration in their dealing with Israel and Indyk is an Obama defender.  Oren had asked the publisher to get it out quickly as he wanted it to be read before the Iran nuclear deal was signed.  

Indyk spoke over Oren when Oren had the floor on the program and rattled away, making it hard to hear Oren, but I did.  They both had kept their cool, being the professionals that they are, but it was most rude for Indyk to do this.  By the way, Indyk still has a very strong English accent. His education came from  the  University of Sydney (B.A., 1972) and Australian National University(Ph.D., International Relations, 1977) as he was  raised in Australia. 

I note that this was the 2nd  time I've written about Indyk being interviewed on CNN's Fareed Zakaria's program.  He was on March 22nd of this year criticizing Israel    I wrote an in depth piece about him on May 17, 1914 because he was highly critical of Israel and was siding with John Kerry and the Obama administration in his dealings with Iran, which definitely was not favorable towards Israel.  He was strongly against settlements in land that was deemed to be in Israel's hands by the ABC divide, so was always on Netanyahu's case about it.  

I note that Oren made aliyah in 1979, a year ahead of me.  He joined the paratroopers and saw action in 1982, the time of the Lebanon-Israel War when Israel went into Lebanon to stop the Palestinian terrorists from bombing the Galilee.  I was living in Safed, in the Galilee.  My favorite department store, so like Meier & Franks, was close to the Lebanon Israel border and was in danger of getting hit. I remember that the population, which included many Americans, were forced to stay in bomb shelters at that time 24/7.  A friend of mine was stuck there having gone to visit during our Spring Break from the Ulpan.  

Indyk  "is known as the framer of the U.S. policy of dual containment which sought to 'contain' Iraq and Iran, which were both viewed as the United States' two most important strategic adversaries at the time. He is the author of Innocent Abroad: An Intimate Account of American Peacemaking Diplomacy in the Middle East."

Oren tried to tell Indyk that what was  important was for the ambassador  to make Israel feel safe, and this he had failed to do.  Indyk came back with the argument that Oren didn't know everything that had occurred.  Oren said that of course he didn't, but as ambassador he knew certain things.  This was true of all ambassadors. None are privy to everything.   Oren defended Israel well and had such limited time to do it against a non listening Indyk.  Zakaria just sat back and let them have at it.  

Resource: CNN-Zakaria Sunday morning program, 7:00am.  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Oren
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Indyk
http://jewishbubba.blogspot.com/2015/03/obama-and-netanyahu-discussed-on-cnn.html-Indyk on program 
http://jewishbubba.blogspot.com/2014/05/martin-indyk-former-usa-ambassador-to.html
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Michael_Oren.html