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Tillerson vs. The Swamp

His days as U.S. secretary of state near at end, Rex Tillerson knows full well why President Donald Trump ousted him. The two men simply did not get along. And in some ways, Tillerson was just too diplomatic for the president’s taste.

But in a way, Tillerson’s departure is a victory for Trump’s most implacable enemy, the federal bureaucracy — the swamp.

Reportedly, Tillerson was battling the State Department establishment at the same time he was at odds with Trump. Tillerson wanted to reform the agency. The entrenched bureaucrats there did not. They dragged their feet and, allegedly, some resisted openly.

So with Tillerson leaving March 31, the swamp denizens at Foggy Bottom may be celebrating.

Trump and his designee as secretary of state, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, should cut that short. They ought to make it clear in short order that Tillerson may be leaving — but his drive for reform is just beginning.

Big-government liberals are natural allies of the bureaucrats. Both should be on notice that making the government work for Americans remains a priority.

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