In two separate Senate hearings this week, Marco Rubio said things to sitting senators’ faces that most officials would never say out loud.
To Senator Cory Booker, who suggested Iran was coming out of the conflict stronger: “Iran has no navy left. They’ve lost a substantial percentage of their defense industrial base, and their economy is far worse today — and I mean far worse — than it was six to nine months ago. I don’t know where you’re getting this perception that Iran is stronger.” Booker had no response. To Senator Jeff Merkley, who challenged him on USAID: Rubio held his position that the agency was riddled with fraud and waste, even as Merkley cited estimates of hundreds of thousands of deaths attributable to the shutdown.
Two hearings. Two confrontations. No apologies.
There is something notable about a diplomat who does not behave like one in a congressional hearing room. Rubio spent years as a senator himself. He knows exactly how these rooms work, who the cameras favor, and what the optics look like. He chose directness anyway.
Whether you agree with his positions or not, the willingness to defend them — in person, under oath, in front of the opposition — is increasingly rare in American public life. Most officials send press releases. Rubio shows up.
“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” — Proverbs 27:17
Conviction without courage to defend it is just an opinion. Rubio keeps showing up to defend his.
What do you think — is Marco Rubio the most effective member of the Trump cabinet right now? ##usa #america #accountability
