Mike Pompeo Comes Out Swinging at CPAC – Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo appears to have plans for higher office.
He is often mentioned as a White House hopeful. That’s why he was test-driving his policy messages at the rightist revival CPAC meeting held outside of Washington, DC.
The conservative conference is the place to be for impressing the MAGA faithful. It may help Pompeo that he is seen as a loyal soldier for the America First foreign policy strategy devised and executed by former President Donald Trump, who speaks here tomorrow.
We are at CPAC 2023 and just heard him speak. Here is a quick rundown of his ideas:
Iran Wants Mike Pompeo Dead
Mike Pompeo has been in the news because he is an enemy of the Iranian government.
Tehran has issued threats to kill Pompeo for his activity associated with the killing of Qasem Soleimani, the shadowy Iranian general that had been a thorn in America’s sides for decades. The United States targeted Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, for assassination in 2020.
Pompeo maintained Soleimani was a terrorist who was instrumental in killing American military personnel.
The Essentials of Conservatism
Pompeo started out his speech by describing what it means to be a conservative.
He invoked Ronald Reagan’s belief that freedom must be passed on to our children. He invoked echoes of Barry Goldwater’s seminal book Conscience of a Conservative.
“My mom and dad taught me to hate losing and I hate losing and the principles we stand for are at risk. The potential losses are a symptom of a much bigger crisis in conservatism. We need to get everyone who understands America and get them back. The way we act, and our deeds are imperative. We are unstoppable when we focus on freedom and faith in God and our founding principles.”
Foreign Policy Starts at Home
MIke Pompeo, as Secretary of State, was focused on foreign policy and diplomacy in the Trump administration. But he wanted to convey how important the home front is, especially when it comes to education.
“Parents know they are standing up to the teachers’ unions. Randi Weingarten is dangerous. We as conservatives are different. Liberals want solutions from government. We believe in solutions from the people. So, find power with people in this room. We believe in more accountability and personal responsibility. We can’t become the left with identity politics,” he said.
But China Should Be Front and Center on the Threat Matrix
Mike Pompeo quickly pivoted to threats that the country is facing from China.
He believes it will be a confrontation that will affect the United States in ways that are similar to previous wars.
“The threats we face are the same threats our parents and grandparents faced. The challenge of China will threaten all of our lives, Pompeo said.
“They are inside the gates. They are using propaganda. The virus came for the lab in Wuhan. I nearly lost my job for saying so. China is responsible for what happened. It killed millions. It affected everyone in this room.”
Fix the Flaws in the GOP
Mike Pompeo became animated when he examined the Republican party’s performance in previous elections, and he is concerned the GOP has lost its edge.
“We lost race after winnable race because voters did not trust us. We were not prepared. I’m worried that Social Security may not be there for my son. There are trillions of new debt. We need to explain why this matters. We should never give an inch of American sovereignty and big government destroys that,” he said.
Pompeo Attacks the Woke Military
Mike Pompeo delved into his personal experience in the U.S. Army as a young tank platoon leader in Germany during the Cold War. These days he has been instrumental in communicating how the military has changed and the dangers of a woke armed forces under the Biden administration.
“Soldiers are not victims, they are not woke, and they don’t need a safe space. They are not looking for an advantage just because they are a minority. They just wanted to fire the tank’s cannon and fire weapons and they wanted to be good and protect our way of life,” Pompeo explained.
Finally, like many Trump MAGA supporters, he warned the crowd about the dangers of the “Deep State.”
“We can sustain the American miracle. School and churches are the cradle, not Washington, DC. It is not about the state or the bureaucracy. It is about what is animated by our founding. It is not the deep state, but family is the bedrock. Ideas by conservatives made this country great.”
Stay with 19FortyFive for comprehensive coverage of CPAC and the future of the conservative movement. On Saturday evening, March 4, Trump will deliver the keynote address. We will be there and expect the best highlights and analysis from us.
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Author Expertise and Experience
Serving as 19FortyFive’s Defense and National Security Editor, Dr. Brent M. Eastwood is the author of Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare. He is an Emerging Threats expert and former U.S. Army Infantry officer. You can follow him on Twitter @BMEastwood. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and Foreign Policy/ International Relations.
