Larison Is Furious, I Am Not.

Daniel Larison, correctly, emphasizes Trump new Director's of National Intelligence lack of any qualifications. 

Grenell has absolutely no relevant experience or expertise that would qualify him for this position, but of course Trump chose him because he is a reliable yes-man and one of the president’s most aggressive attack dogs. The purpose of naming Grenell to serve in this role is to make sure that the intelligence Trump hears will always be to his liking and will reinforce his own assumptions, and it is part of his ongoing hostility toward career professionals in the government. Grenell has no business serving in this position.... Besides being unqualified for the job, Grenell is also a fervent hawk, especially on Iran, and it is very likely that he will take advantage of being Director of National Intelligence to feed flawed and distorted intelligence analysis to a gullible president.

Grenell made a "name" for himself as US Ambassador to Germany--a position he also is utterly unqualified for, which is expected from someone with "degree" in government and "experience" in media sphere.  I absolutely do not understand Larison's argument:

1. Who said that personal loyalty IS NOT a decisive factor in promotions for high government posts in D.C.? Since when it is not so? I believe it is a long and proud tradition to form Administrations based primarily on loyalty, not professional qualities. Should I remind all the "professional" level of appointees in the Obama's Admin? Especially so, as represented by people utterly unqualified for diplomatic or intelligence positions? Come on, economist Susan Rice as National Security Advisor? What could possibly go wrong with that, not to mention two sanctimonious a-holes and seditious coupsters such as Brennan or Clapper. Not to mention an exemplary US "diplomat" such as Vicki Nuland. Hey, what were Paul Wolfowitz' qualifications for "serving" at Pentagon? In the end, Hillary Clinton was as good a Secretary of the State as I am an impersonator of Kathy Perry (Hint: I suck at impersonating Kathy Perry, I think, I never tried).  

2. This point derives from the point above: read my syllables--the United States blew, in the last 30 years, EVERY single geopolitical, economic, military, diplomatic and ideological advantage it seemed to enjoy in the wake of the Soviet collapse. THIS IS this overwhelming empirical evidence of utter incompetence and corruption of the American elites in which appointment of some gay dude with zero qualifications for anything other than "public affairs" is but another logical continuation of the practices which not only destabilized the world but are fast turning the United States into the Third World country. Not quite there yet, but give it some time. 

As I note:

As I write non-stop, the problem is systemic: it is one of a complete lack of knowledge and understanding of the outside world it is also a very low, if any, level of self-awareness. To make a point: try as one might, one will be hard-pressed to find any competent and at least partially correct geopolitical forecast which emerged from the deep recesses of US national security and political "science" think-tankdom. When being consistently wrong in forecasts and calculating consequences of own actions becomes the only outcome system produces, it is the sign of a system which is completely broken. It is broken.

So, using my favorite Russian classic fable author Ivan Andreevich Krylov, his fable Quartet describes situation extremely well. 

A Rascal-Monkey
             Donkey
             Billy Goat
      And klunky Bear
      Set out to play a string Quartet.
 They found some scores, viola, bass, two violins
     And sat down in a lea beneath a linden tree
     To charm the world with art.
 They struck their strings, and sawed with all their heart.
 No luck. "Arrete, my fellows, stop!" shouts Monkey, 
                                      "Wait!"
 How can the music play when you're not sitting straight?
 You, Bearie, opposite viola move your bass,
       As primo, I'll sit opposite secundo's face
       And then some music will take place.
       We'll make the hills and forests dance!"
       They took their seats and started the Quartet,
       And once again it came to nyet.
       "Hold on! I know the secret!"
       Shouts Donkey, "It is bound to come out fine
              If everyone sits in a line."
 They followed Donkey's plan and settled in a row;
    But even so, the music would not go. 
 More fiercely than before they argued then
                     About
        Who should be sitting where.
A nightingale, in passing, chanced the noise to hear. 
At once, they turned to her to solve their problem.
The pleaded, "Please, spare us some time
To make of our quartet a paradigm:
We have our instruments and scores,
                    Just tell us how to sit!"
 "For making music, you must have the knack
        And ears more musical than yours,"
        The nightingale comes back,
        "And you, my friends, no matter your positions, 
        Will never be musicians!"

Nothing more to say here. 

A Wowser.

If you haven't heard, you better hear it now. 

President Trump’s National Security Council asked the Pentagon to provide the White House with military options to strike Iran last year, generating concern at the Pentagon and State Department, current and former U.S. officials said.

I think by now you might have guessed who this initiative originated from. I am also smiling sarcastically when reading about State Department having "concern". US so called "diplomacy" is the most aggressive mindless incompetent war-mongering institution without equals in the world, this is not to mention the fact that in terms of military-strategic realities most American so called "diplomats" don't know shit from shinola. I do, however, conceive, as I stated not for once, that actual professionals in Pentagon do have better idea about consequences of war and as such could be (yes, I know--sounds bizarre) one of those few checks which MAY work in impeding somewhat lunatic ideas emanating from the very political top. 

In related news,  as Der Spiegel reports.

Since arriving in Berlin as U.S. ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell has flouted diplomatic conventions and attempted to interfere in domestic politics. He has since become politically isolated in the German capital.

Spiegel, of course, being nothing more than globalist mouth-piece, still notes:

These days, the spotlight on Grenell seems to have grown dimmer, though not necessarily by choice. He still tweets assiduously and he never seems to say no when Fox News calls, but in Berlin, he has largely become isolated. The powerful avoid him. Doors have been shut. Few politicians to the left of the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AFD) and the populist-conservative Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party of Merkel's center-right Christian Democrats (CDU), want to be seen with him.  

Why so? Well, because US "diplomat" just sent out a truck load of letters to German companies warning them that they better quit Nord Stream-2 or else (in Russian). Grenell, however, far from being an exception is a rule of contemporary American "elites" who are utterly illiterate, narcissistic and arrogant--needless to say, until this pool of utterly unqualified dimwits is removed from power and new competent and realist (not in American "realist" sense) crop of people is grown and elected into power, the United States will continue its decline, hopefully without unleashing a global war.