Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

Senators sniff Brett McGurk’s underwear

Is anybody else bothered that the U.S. Senate is going through Brett McGurk’s old e-mails to his lover, whom he married? What business is it of the U.S. Senate? I mean, it isn’t like the guy is going on a soft ride to Paris. He is up to be the ambassador to Baghdad. They should ...

By
YouTube
YouTube
YouTube

Is anybody else bothered that the U.S. Senate is going through Brett McGurk's old e-mails to his lover, whom he married? What business is it of the U.S. Senate? I mean, it isn't like the guy is going on a soft ride to Paris. He is up to be the ambassador to Baghdad. They should be thanking him for being willing to go to live in one of the world's worst climates, where violence is still rampant, and where the Iranians will make his professional life not so much fun.

Is anybody else bothered that the U.S. Senate is going through Brett McGurk’s old e-mails to his lover, whom he married? What business is it of the U.S. Senate? I mean, it isn’t like the guy is going on a soft ride to Paris. He is up to be the ambassador to Baghdad. They should be thanking him for being willing to go to live in one of the world’s worst climates, where violence is still rampant, and where the Iranians will make his professional life not so much fun.

Where is our sense of decency? I think the Senate owes this man an apology — an apology, sir.

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1
Tags: Afghanistan, Middle East and North Africa, North America

latest

Green Hydrogen Isn’t a Silver Bullet 

Why the Iraq War AUMF Is Still Dangerous

The U.S. Shouldn’t Worry About the India-Canada Rift

Largest Climate Change Lawsuit in History Kicks Off in European Court

The Scrambled Spectrum of U.S. Foreign-Policy Thinking
See All Stories

Editors’ Picks

  1. 1
    The Morality of Ukraine’s War Is Very Murky
  2. 2
    Heather Cox Richardson: Why I’m Hopeful About Democracy
  3. 3
    Poland Is Throwing All Its Neighbors Under the Bus
  4. 4
    The Scrambled Spectrum of U.S. Foreign-Policy Thinking
  5. 5
    The U.S. Shouldn’t Worry About the India-Canada Rift
  6. 6
    Green Hydrogen Isn't a Silver Bullet 

More from Foreign Policy

An illustration shows the Statue of Liberty holding a torch with other hands alongside hers as she lifts the flame, also resembling laurel, into place on the edge of the United Nations laurel logo.
An illustration shows the Statue of Liberty holding a torch with other hands alongside hers as she lifts the flame, also resembling laurel, into place on the edge of the United Nations laurel logo.

A New Multilateralism

How the United States can rejuvenate the global institutions it created.

A view from the cockpit shows backlit control panels and two pilots inside a KC-130J aerial refueler en route from Williamtown to Darwin as the sun sets on the horizon.
A view from the cockpit shows backlit control panels and two pilots inside a KC-130J aerial refueler en route from Williamtown to Darwin as the sun sets on the horizon.

America Prepares for a Pacific War With China It Doesn’t Want

Embedded with U.S. forces in the Pacific, I saw the dilemmas of deterrence firsthand.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, seen in a suit and tie and in profile, walks outside the venue at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Behind him is a sculptural tree in a larger planter that appears to be leaning away from him.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, seen in a suit and tie and in profile, walks outside the venue at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Behind him is a sculptural tree in a larger planter that appears to be leaning away from him.

The Endless Frustration of Chinese Diplomacy

Beijing’s representatives are always scared they could be the next to vanish.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022.

The End of America’s Middle East

The region’s four major countries have all forfeited Washington’s trust.

Trending

  1. Heather Cox Richardson: Why I’m Hopeful About Democracy
    Q&A
    Ravi Agrawal

  2. The Scrambled Spectrum of U.S. Foreign-Policy Thinking
    Analysis
    Ash Jain

  3. The U.S. Shouldn’t Worry About the India-Canada Rift
    South Asia Brief
    Michael Kugelman

  4. Washington Is Losing Credibility Over the Canada-India Spat
    Analysis
    Howard W. French

  5. Green Hydrogen Isn't a Silver Bullet 
    Explainer
    Christina Lu