RUDY G --- give him a nice thank you gift and part ways
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EXCERPTED AND EDITED/CONDENSED from an Editorial by the NYT
Will the United States muddle through the next four years, due to an inexperienced president?
The latter outcome could be averted if Mr. Trump selects an experienced and conscientious leader as his top diplomat. That would require appointing someone other than Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor, who is reported to be the front-runner for the job.
Before addressing why he would be a potentially disastrous choice, it's worth reflecting on the enormous foreign policy challenges the incoming administration will face.
The Trump administration will have to create a new Syria policy, which will require deft understanding of Russia's intentions and capabilities in the Middle East, and careful management of a complex coalition of allies fighting the Islamic State. The Trump White House will most likely be tested early by North Korea's bellicose and nuclear-armed leader. Leaders across Europe will be watching to see whether the Trump administration is willing to let the Western military and diplomatic alliance erode. Closer to home, the new White House will have to weigh the impact of turning Mr. Trump's immigration rhetoric into policy.
A successful secretary of state must be steeped in history and geopolitics and have shrewd negotiating skills and a clear sense of America's capabilities, principles and the limits of Washington's power.
The extent of Mr. Giuliani's international experience has been largely limited to giving speeches and consulting work. He lacks any substantive diplomatic experience.
Since leaving office, Mr. Giuliani has earned millions working for foreign governments and businesses, which would raise a flurry of potential conflicts of interest. For instance, he was paid to deliver speeches in 2011 and 2012 defending a cultlike Iranian exile group that was on the State Department's list of terrorist organizations.
Mr. Trump, who has no background in international affairs, would be wise to seek the counsel of former Republican secretaries of state about the demands of the job. Anyone offering sound advice would urge him to scrap plans to have Mr. Giuliani run the State Department.
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