During a confirmation hearing at the US Senate on April 13, the US Secretary of State nominee and incumbent CIA Director Mike Pompeo said Washington's "soft" approach toward Russia will come to an end.
Amid Pompeo's calls for harder line against Russia, Senator Tim Kaine of the Democratic Party asked him:
"If we embrace the regime change in other nations, we can hardly say 'but this is something only the US gets to do.' If we say it is an acceptable foreign policy goal for us, other nations conclude it is an acceptable foreign policy goal for them."
Pompeo, however, said he didn't find a moral equivalency in the cases Kaine was describing.
"This [US] is a unique, exceptional country. Russia is unique, but not exceptional. It behaves in ways that are deeply different from what we ever ought to contemplate. The words 'democracy promotion' and 'Vladimir Putin' are unlikely to be used in the same sentence, paragraph, or document — maybe the same century… I mean, look at the election meddling, right?" said Pompeo.
Twitter users have responded to Pompeo's suggestion that Russia is not exceptional, compared to the US.
Our establishment have become so drunk on the religion of "American exceptionalism," they can no longer see past their own noses.
— HootHootBerns 🌹🐦 (@HootHootBerns) April 13, 2018
This isn't patriotism; this is lunacy and "Manifest Destiny" on an international scale. https://t.co/KfZGWMc9tw
"When..asked if US should back off from regime change..because RUor another country might feel justified following same policies, Pompeo responded its different when US do it
— Ray Kinsella (@ProfRayKinsella) April 13, 2018
“This is a unique, exceptional country,” he said. “Russia is unique, but not exceptional.”
The Madness
Pompeo:
— The Sirius Report (@thesiriusreport) April 13, 2018
This is a unique, exceptional country.
Russia is unique, but not exceptional.
Pompeo is in for some major shocks given what is coming down the track, geopolitically and economically.
— Brian (@RealADuran) April 13, 2018
What a fantastic pick for SecState. pic.twitter.com/ofV5xAHDBx
— Steve Terpe (@srterpe) April 13, 2018
Baffling… it’s hard to imagine how someone with such an insane ideology has reached that high up in public office. He clearly believes the vomit that comes out of his mouth. I think we may have just found an even more dangerous Secretary of State than Hillary.
— Ichimoku Wa (@ichimoku_wa) April 13, 2018
— SUR #puq (@SurPUQ) April 13, 2018