Biden to tab 4-star general Austin for Secretary of Defense

The current is only an acting as the Branstad left the post in October but he is

"Chargé Forden is one of the U.S. State Department’s most experienced China specialists. He served twice previously in U.S. Embassy Beijing (1995-1998 and 2007-2011) and was Deputy Director and Political Chief of the Department of State’s Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs (2005-2007). He was also Deputy Director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) (2015-201 in Taipei, and headed AIT’s Kaohsiung Branch Office (2002-2005). Chargé Forden’s other assignments include serving as Economic Officer at the U.S. Embassies in Tel Aviv and Hanoi. His background in China started early; he taught English at universities in Shenyang and Beijing from 1981 to 1983."
https://china.usembassy-china.org.cn/our-relationship/our-ambassador/

As far as Branstad who served from the beginning of the Trump administration

Iowa House, 1973-79; Iowa lieutenant governor, 1979-83; Iowa governor, 1983-1999, 2011-present.
"In December 2016 President-elect Donald Trump chose Branstad to serve as US Ambassador to China, succeeding Max Baucus.[60] Branstad accepted the offer within one day after meeting with Trump in New York.[61] Trump cited Branstad's decades of experience with China while governor of Iowa.[61] Xi Jinping, China's paramount leader, considers Branstad an "old friend".[62] Branstad's relationship with Xi dates to 1985, when Xi, then a young official from ****i Province, headed a five-man agricultural delegation to Iowa.[63] Branstad's hearing before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee was held on May 2, 2017."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Branstad

And in his interim period worked in international finance including Asia.

So yes please explain how "Mayor Pete" is more qualified than these two gentlemen.

 

Seems we actually do not have a current ambassador to China, so anybody is better than nobody, right?

For most of Trump's term, it was a former Governor of Iowa named Terry Branstad, but he resigned on 10/4 of this year.

Midwest Gov vs Midwest Mayor.... I see little difference there...

Hope Pete gets it (if he wants it). He's an impressive young voice who should be around for some time...

 

Didn't say he was more qualified, but didn't say he was less either...

LOL.. Branstad left China to work on Trump's reelection campaign.... a real career dead-end....

 

Here's more Biden picks being introduced

SecAg - Tom Vilsack
V.A. - Denis McDonough
HUD - Marcia Fudge
Trade - Katherine Tai
DPC - Susan Rice

Fire away.... 2 white guys... you gotta like that, right??

 

Ooops.. glad I called that a rumor...

Mayor Pete to be the Sec Trans.... 14th in line to the Presidency.... I didn't know that....

Certainly a B level cabinet post, but still a pretty plum job for a future POTUS candidate...

The current Sec Trans certainly made a ton of loot out of the job, so hope Mayor Pete rakes it in big here...

 

You cannot say Austin is not qualified but he does represent that segment of out military industrial complex that has been wrong so many times. We do not need a black Rumsfeld.

I would have preferred a younger person with more new ideas who is at least capable of at least recognizing the mistakes of our past.

 

There are Democrats who will likely vote with Republicans not to grant Austin a necessary waiver.



https://www.thedailybeast.com/why-you-should-rethink-your-white-liberal-critique-of-lloyd-austin