Going to be a big door swinging in Washington DC

[Tilly]

Obama did the same-
44 - Obama Gives Political Ambassadors Their Pink Slips

This article was posted in another thread. It deserves it's own thread. What an incredibly petty, callous and vindictive thing to do - upending people's lives just because you can? Seriously?

In Break With Precedent, Obama Envoys Are Denied Extensions Past Inauguration Day

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald J. Trump’s transition staff has issued a blanket edict requiring politically appointed ambassadors to leave their overseas posts by Inauguration Day, according to several American diplomats familiar with the plan, breaking with decades of precedent by declining to provide even the briefest of grace periods.

The mandate — issued “without exceptions,” according to a terse State Department cable sent on Dec. 23, diplomats who saw it said — threatens to leave the United States without Senate-confirmed envoys for months in critical nations like Germany, Canada and Britain. In the past, administrations of both parties have often granted extensions on a case-by-case basis to allow a handful of ambassadors, particularly those with school-age children, to remain in place for weeks or months.

...A senior Trump transition official said there was no ill will in the move, describing it as a simple matter of ensuring that Mr. Obama’s overseas appointees leave the government on schedule, just as thousands of political aides at the White House and in federal agencies must do. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity about internal deliberations, said the ambassadors should not be surprised about being held to a hard end date.

The directive has nonetheless upended the personal lives of many ambassadors, who are scrambling to secure living arrangements and acquire visas allowing them to remain in their countries so their children can remain in school, the diplomats said. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly on the matter.

W. Robert Pearson, a former ambassador to Turkey and a scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington, said the rule was “quite extraordinary,” adding that it could undermine American interests and signal a hasty change in direction that exacerbates jitters among allies about their relationships with the new administration.

....Some expressed dismay that Mr. Trump, whose wife, Melania, has chosen to stay in New York to avoid moving the couple’s 10-year-old son, Barron, to a new school midyear, would not ensure that such allowances were made for American ambassadors.

​

They "shouldn't be surprised"? If it breaks with decades of precedent, they of course they would be surprised. No ill will? Really?

Did Obama refuse to provide any grace periods for families with children in school for example?

Yep! Blanket statement. Pack your bags and get out!

BTW, they have known since before Christmas.

They would have known on Nov 9th

 

[Moonglow]

Well you've certainly found a diamond in the rough.
This is a game breaker.

It does affect families...But what does that matter if a kid has to transfer during the school year to another nation, right?

It is not that they have to learn another language when they return, is it?

Trump , what a guy...

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

For those who require extra large bold characters for emphasis, I'm obliging...

Trump denies grace periods to Obama’s ambassadors

According to Nicholas Burns, a retired career diplomat who is now a professor of diplomacy at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, it has been a tradition for all presidents to ask political appointees to leave their posts.

But most presidents and secretaries of State have made exceptions, he tells the Monitor.

“That [there would be no exception] struck me as a little bit peremptory and a little bit unwise,” says Ambassador Burns, who also serves on Secretary of State John Kerry’s Foreign Affairs Policy advisory board. “It seems in the interest of the Trump administration to have the highest level of representation in some of our key diplomatic posts.”


....But with many observers anxious to see whether Trump will make changes to policy in key regions, from Eastern Europe to the Pacific, the Trump administration's interests could be better served if they were a little bit more flexible about offering a grace period, Burns says.

“We have a politically appointed ambassador to China, and China is perhaps our key relationship around the world – it's a problematic one,” Burns says. “So to go months without an ambassador to China is probably not a good idea.”

Trump has already named his ambassador to China.

Next!

 

[Coyote]

"Ronald E. Neumann, the president of the American Academy of Diplomacy, told the Times that he could not “recollect there was ever a guillotine in January where it was just, ‘Everybody out of the pool immediately.’”

However, Obama’s transition team sent out similar guidance -- eight years ago -- telling ambassadors appointed by President George W. Bush they had to leave their posts by Inauguration Day."

Trump tells Obama's ambassadors to leave by Inauguration Day

Did Obama refuse to give them any grace period or make exceptions? That is the difference we are talking about. Every new administration sends out same "pink slips".

 

[defcon4]

And leaves the US without envoys until appointed and approved...

You like drama, don't you?
"But despite the prospect of imminent vacancies at posts around the world, U.S. embassies are likely to retain leadership as deputies fill in for the short term. “The number twos are career foreign service officers and more than capable of stepping into the roles,” said the source who spoke with"
Trump tells Obama's ambassadors to leave by Inauguration Day

 

[Coyote]

For those who require extra large bold characters for emphasis, I'm obliging...

Trump denies grace periods to Obama’s ambassadors

According to Nicholas Burns, a retired career diplomat who is now a professor of diplomacy at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, it has been a tradition for all presidents to ask political appointees to leave their posts.

But most presidents and secretaries of State have made exceptions, he tells the Monitor.

“That [there would be no exception] struck me as a little bit peremptory and a little bit unwise,” says Ambassador Burns, who also serves on Secretary of State John Kerry’s Foreign Affairs Policy advisory board. “It seems in the interest of the Trump administration to have the highest level of representation in some of our key diplomatic posts.”


....But with many observers anxious to see whether Trump will make changes to policy in key regions, from Eastern Europe to the Pacific, the Trump administration's interests could be better served if they were a little bit more flexible about offering a grace period, Burns says.

“We have a politically appointed ambassador to China, and China is perhaps our key relationship around the world – it's a problematic one,” Burns says. “So to go months without an ambassador to China is probably not a good idea.”

Trump has already named his ambassador to China.

Next!

Are you expecting a 24 hr confirmation? It takes months to confirm all the appointees that require confirmation.

Next!

 

[Moonglow]

And leaves the US without envoys until appointed and approved...

You like drama, don't you?
"But despite the prospect of imminent vacancies at posts around the world, U.S. embassies are likely to retain leadership as deputies fill in for the short term. “The number twos are career foreign service officers and more than capable of stepping into the roles,” said the source who spoke with"
Trump tells Obama's ambassadors to leave by Inauguration Day

Science fiction is ok also....

 

[depotoo]

Political ambassadors sometimes are permitted to stay on briefly during a new administration, but the sweeping nature of the directive suggests that Obama has little interest in retaining any of Bush's ambassadorial appointees.

From my link above

"Ronald E. Neumann, the president of the American Academy of Diplomacy, told the Times that he could not “recollect there was ever a guillotine in January where it was just, ‘Everybody out of the pool immediately.’”

However, Obama’s transition team sent out similar guidance -- eight years ago -- telling ambassadors appointed by President George W. Bush they had to leave their posts by Inauguration Day."

Trump tells Obama's ambassadors to leave by Inauguration Day

Did Obama refuse to give them any grace period or make exceptions? That is the difference we are talking about. Every new administration sends out same "pink slips".

 

[defcon4]

WOW! Pretty darn inconsiderate, especially the timing of the letter sent to them on December 23rd....Merry frick'n Christmas!

All the while Trump expects tax payers to fund secret service taking an entire floor in Trump tower just to guard his wife and child, who refuses to move in to the white house, with the secret service coverage there, until at least her son finishes the school year, so not to interrupt his educational process.... was understandable to me....though as an Air Force brat, I was forced to move every time my father was transferred, regardless of mid school year...I wouldn't wish that on any other child!

Trump should have given to these servants, the courtesy given to him and Melania, to the diplomats/ambassadors, who have risked their lives and family's lives daily, while serving the United States of America overseas...at least let them stay until there are replacements or until their child is done the school year, if the position is still empty.

It's a callous, inconsiderate thing to do to all of these Diplomats/ ambassadors....on Dec 23rd...you know, people similar to Chris Stevens who could be ambushed and killed at any time...

Many people get pinks before Christmas and they are not rich Obama donors. You feel sorry for the very affluent whose vacation is over.

 

[Clementine]

This article was posted in another thread. It deserves it's own thread. What an incredibly petty, callous and vindictive thing to do - upending people's lives just because you can? Seriously?

In Break With Precedent, Obama Envoys Are Denied Extensions Past Inauguration Day

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald J. Trump’s transition staff has issued a blanket edict requiring politically appointed ambassadors to leave their overseas posts by Inauguration Day, according to several American diplomats familiar with the plan, breaking with decades of precedent by declining to provide even the briefest of grace periods.

The mandate — issued “without exceptions,” according to a terse State Department cable sent on Dec. 23, diplomats who saw it said — threatens to leave the United States without Senate-confirmed envoys for months in critical nations like Germany, Canada and Britain. In the past, administrations of both parties have often granted extensions on a case-by-case basis to allow a handful of ambassadors, particularly those with school-age children, to remain in place for weeks or months.

...A senior Trump transition official said there was no ill will in the move, describing it as a simple matter of ensuring that Mr. Obama’s overseas appointees leave the government on schedule, just as thousands of political aides at the White House and in federal agencies must do. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity about internal deliberations, said the ambassadors should not be surprised about being held to a hard end date.

The directive has nonetheless upended the personal lives of many ambassadors, who are scrambling to secure living arrangements and acquire visas allowing them to remain in their countries so their children can remain in school, the diplomats said. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly on the matter.

W. Robert Pearson, a former ambassador to Turkey and a scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington, said the rule was “quite extraordinary,” adding that it could undermine American interests and signal a hasty change in direction that exacerbates jitters among allies about their relationships with the new administration.

....Some expressed dismay that Mr. Trump, whose wife, Melania, has chosen to stay in New York to avoid moving the couple’s 10-year-old son, Barron, to a new school midyear, would not ensure that such allowances were made for American ambassadors.

​

They "shouldn't be surprised"? If it breaks with decades of precedent, they of course they would be surprised. No ill will? Really?

It's not like these folks intended to stay in their current positions anyway.

No one on the left seemed to care that none of Obama's secret service people and staff were able to spend any holidays with their families for 8 years. Obama's went to Hawaii every Christmas.

 

[Coyote]

And leaves the US without envoys until appointed and approved...

You like drama, don't you?
"But despite the prospect of imminent vacancies at posts around the world, U.S. embassies are likely to retain leadership as deputies fill in for the short term. “The number twos are career foreign service officers and more than capable of stepping into the roles,” said the source who spoke with"
Trump tells Obama's ambassadors to leave by Inauguration Day

Trump denies grace periods to Obama’s ambassadors
A chargé d’affaires, a role usually held by a designated senior career foreign service officer, will maintain the functions of the embassy while the nominated ambassador goes through Senate confirmation. But this arrangement is not ideal, Henrikson says.

“A charge-d'affair, they're usually not in the position to do anything other than to maintain continuity,” Henrikson says. “That is to say, they're very unlikely to be given themselves, individually, any kind of instructions to negotiate something new. They really want just to maintain, I wouldn't say the status-quo necessarily, but to maintain things progressing as they have been.”

 

[Coyote]

WOW! Pretty darn inconsiderate, especially the timing of the letter sent to them on December 23rd....Merry frick'n Christmas!

All the while Trump expects tax payers to fund secret service taking an entire floor in Trump tower just to guard his wife and child, who refuses to move in to the white house, with the secret service coverage there, until at least her son finishes the school year, so not to interrupt his educational process.... was understandable to me....though as an Air Force brat, I was forced to move every time my father was transferred, regardless of mid school year...I wouldn't wish that on any other child!

Trump should have given to these servants, the courtesy given to him and Melania, to the diplomats/ambassadors, who have risked their lives and family's lives daily, while serving the United States of America overseas...at least let them stay until there are replacements or until their child is done the school year, if the position is still empty.

It's a callous, inconsiderate thing to do to all of these Diplomats/ ambassadors....on Dec 23rd...you know, people similar to Chris Stevens who could be ambushed and killed at any time...

Many people get pinks before Christmas and they are not rich Obama donors. You feel sorry for the very affluent whose vacation is over.

Oh. It's ok to pink people because they're rich...and you say the lefties hate the rich?

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

Obama did the same-
44 - Obama Gives Political Ambassadors Their Pink Slips

This article was posted in another thread. It deserves it's own thread. What an incredibly petty, callous and vindictive thing to do - upending people's lives just because you can? Seriously?

In Break With Precedent, Obama Envoys Are Denied Extensions Past Inauguration Day

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald J. Trump’s transition staff has issued a blanket edict requiring politically appointed ambassadors to leave their overseas posts by Inauguration Day, according to several American diplomats familiar with the plan, breaking with decades of precedent by declining to provide even the briefest of grace periods.

The mandate — issued “without exceptions,” according to a terse State Department cable sent on Dec. 23, diplomats who saw it said — threatens to leave the United States without Senate-confirmed envoys for months in critical nations like Germany, Canada and Britain. In the past, administrations of both parties have often granted extensions on a case-by-case basis to allow a handful of ambassadors, particularly those with school-age children, to remain in place for weeks or months.

...A senior Trump transition official said there was no ill will in the move, describing it as a simple matter of ensuring that Mr. Obama’s overseas appointees leave the government on schedule, just as thousands of political aides at the White House and in federal agencies must do. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity about internal deliberations, said the ambassadors should not be surprised about being held to a hard end date.

The directive has nonetheless upended the personal lives of many ambassadors, who are scrambling to secure living arrangements and acquire visas allowing them to remain in their countries so their children can remain in school, the diplomats said. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly on the matter.

W. Robert Pearson, a former ambassador to Turkey and a scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington, said the rule was “quite extraordinary,” adding that it could undermine American interests and signal a hasty change in direction that exacerbates jitters among allies about their relationships with the new administration.

....Some expressed dismay that Mr. Trump, whose wife, Melania, has chosen to stay in New York to avoid moving the couple’s 10-year-old son, Barron, to a new school midyear, would not ensure that such allowances were made for American ambassadors.

​

They "shouldn't be surprised"? If it breaks with decades of precedent, they of course they would be surprised. No ill will? Really?

Opps!

No. Not an oops.

Every new administration does that - EXCEPT - they make exceptions, and grant grace periods to allow families with children in school to complete the terms. That is the issue.

So we should keep someone in that country in a diplomatic post for the children?

Do you even fathom how stupid that sounds?

Did the military allow my kids to stay in school or did I have to move mid-year?

My oldest daughter attended about 7 different school before she hit middle school and I left the military.

 

[defcon4]

And leaves the US without envoys until appointed and approved...

You like drama, don't you?
"But despite the prospect of imminent vacancies at posts around the world, U.S. embassies are likely to retain leadership as deputies fill in for the short term. “The number twos are career foreign service officers and more than capable of stepping into the roles,” said the source who spoke with"
Trump tells Obama's ambassadors to leave by Inauguration Day

Trump denies grace periods to Obama’s ambassadors
A chargé d’affaires, a role usually held by a designated senior career foreign service officer, will maintain the functions of the embassy while the nominated ambassador goes through Senate confirmation. But this arrangement is not ideal, Henrikson says.

“A charge-d'affair, they're usually not in the position to do anything other than to maintain continuity,” Henrikson says. “That is to say, they're very unlikely to be given themselves, individually, any kind of instructions to negotiate something new. They really want just to maintain, I wouldn't say the status-quo necessarily, but to maintain things progressing as they have been.”

Hot air, dramatizing the situation. Did you cry when Obama pinked Bush appointees? I am just looking for the hypocrisy part of the fabricated outrage.

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

"Ronald E. Neumann, the president of the American Academy of Diplomacy, told the Times that he could not “recollect there was ever a guillotine in January where it was just, ‘Everybody out of the pool immediately.’”

However, Obama’s transition team sent out similar guidance -- eight years ago -- telling ambassadors appointed by President George W. Bush they had to leave their posts by Inauguration Day."

Trump tells Obama's ambassadors to leave by Inauguration Day

Did Obama refuse to give them any grace period or make exceptions? That is the difference we are talking about. Every new administration sends out same "pink slips".

Their grace period (as another poster suggested) was from November 9th until January 20th.

 

[Moonglow]

And leaves the US without envoys until appointed and approved...

You like drama, don't you?
"But despite the prospect of imminent vacancies at posts around the world, U.S. embassies are likely to retain leadership as deputies fill in for the short term. “The number twos are career foreign service officers and more than capable of stepping into the roles,” said the source who spoke with"
Trump tells Obama's ambassadors to leave by Inauguration Day

Trump denies grace periods to Obama’s ambassadors
A chargé d’affaires, a role usually held by a designated senior career foreign service officer, will maintain the functions of the embassy while the nominated ambassador goes through Senate confirmation. But this arrangement is not ideal, Henrikson says.

“A charge-d'affair, they're usually not in the position to do anything other than to maintain continuity,” Henrikson says. “That is to say, they're very unlikely to be given themselves, individually, any kind of instructions to negotiate something new. They really want just to maintain, I wouldn't say the status-quo necessarily, but to maintain things progressing as they have been.”

Hot air, dramatizing the situation. Did you cry when Obama pinked Bush appointees? I am just looking for the hypocrisy part of the fabricated outrage.

Sure did..But what can you do?

 

[defcon4]

WOW! Pretty darn inconsiderate, especially the timing of the letter sent to them on December 23rd....Merry frick'n Christmas!

All the while Trump expects tax payers to fund secret service taking an entire floor in Trump tower just to guard his wife and child, who refuses to move in to the white house, with the secret service coverage there, until at least her son finishes the school year, so not to interrupt his educational process.... was understandable to me....though as an Air Force brat, I was forced to move every time my father was transferred, regardless of mid school year...I wouldn't wish that on any other child!

Trump should have given to these servants, the courtesy given to him and Melania, to the diplomats/ambassadors, who have risked their lives and family's lives daily, while serving the United States of America overseas...at least let them stay until there are replacements or until their child is done the school year, if the position is still empty.

It's a callous, inconsiderate thing to do to all of these Diplomats/ ambassadors....on Dec 23rd...you know, people similar to Chris Stevens who could be ambushed and killed at any time...

Many people get pinks before Christmas and they are not rich Obama donors. You feel sorry for the very affluent whose vacation is over.

Oh. It's ok to pink people because they're rich...and you say the lefties hate the rich?

It is OK to pink anybody who is not useful for the purpose any longer.

 

[defcon4]

And leaves the US without envoys until appointed and approved...

You like drama, don't you?
"But despite the prospect of imminent vacancies at posts around the world, U.S. embassies are likely to retain leadership as deputies fill in for the short term. “The number twos are career foreign service officers and more than capable of stepping into the roles,” said the source who spoke with"
Trump tells Obama's ambassadors to leave by Inauguration Day

Trump denies grace periods to Obama’s ambassadors
A chargé d’affaires, a role usually held by a designated senior career foreign service officer, will maintain the functions of the embassy while the nominated ambassador goes through Senate confirmation. But this arrangement is not ideal, Henrikson says.

“A charge-d'affair, they're usually not in the position to do anything other than to maintain continuity,” Henrikson says. “That is to say, they're very unlikely to be given themselves, individually, any kind of instructions to negotiate something new. They really want just to maintain, I wouldn't say the status-quo necessarily, but to maintain things progressing as they have been.”

Hot air, dramatizing the situation. Did you cry when Obama pinked Bush appointees? I am just looking for the hypocrisy part of the fabricated outrage.

Sure did..But what can you do?

I am crying with you.

 

[Moonglow]

And leaves the US without envoys until appointed and approved...

You like drama, don't you?
"But despite the prospect of imminent vacancies at posts around the world, U.S. embassies are likely to retain leadership as deputies fill in for the short term. “The number twos are career foreign service officers and more than capable of stepping into the roles,” said the source who spoke with"
Trump tells Obama's ambassadors to leave by Inauguration Day

Trump denies grace periods to Obama’s ambassadors
A chargé d’affaires, a role usually held by a designated senior career foreign service officer, will maintain the functions of the embassy while the nominated ambassador goes through Senate confirmation. But this arrangement is not ideal, Henrikson says.

“A charge-d'affair, they're usually not in the position to do anything other than to maintain continuity,” Henrikson says. “That is to say, they're very unlikely to be given themselves, individually, any kind of instructions to negotiate something new. They really want just to maintain, I wouldn't say the status-quo necessarily, but to maintain things progressing as they have been.”

Hot air, dramatizing the situation. Did you cry when Obama pinked Bush appointees? I am just looking for the hypocrisy part of the fabricated outrage.

Sure did..But what can you do?

I am crying with you.

Misery loves company..

 

[depotoo]

And more-
Obama Gives Political Ambassadors Their Pink Slips

By Glenn Kessler
The incoming Obama administration has notified all politically-appointed ambassadors that they must vacate their posts as of Jan. 20, the day President-elect Barack Obama takes the oath of office, a State Department official said.