Sorry, Thomas Friedman

So, Thomas Friedman, normally a very astute man, thinks Arne duncan would make an excellent Secretary of State after Sec Clinton steps down. I think he's completelylost track of what a good Secretary of State has to be able to do: formulate a plan, implement foreign policy, develop relationships, bring diverse groups to consensus. So far, as Sec of Ed, Duncan has done exactly the opposite.

 http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_22082363/thomas-l-friedman-my-secretary-state-arne-duncan

Arne Duncan thinks the way to “measure” success or failure is to give a test and 'analyze' the results. I can just see this enshrined in US foreign policy, can't you? He'll withhold foreign aid for literacy programs and universal education from nations that don't demonstrate adequate progress on a poorly designed instrument full of cultural bias. He'll require that public health be administered on a voucher basis, so that the recipients can 'vote with their feet' and chase after services offered by privately operated for-profit operators. He will go overseas to negotiate a treaty and leave behind people who are more polarized than when he walked in, and thoroughly insulted by his attempts to dictate his 'values' to them. Forgive me if that doesn't inspire confidence in the future of the US State Department.