BIG CHANGES? – AT 9:56 A.M. ET:  As readers know, we are very reluctant to highlight speculative stories.  However, this one is too juicy to ignore, and has the ring of truth.   From The New York Times: 

The White House has developed a plan to force out Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson, whose relationship with President Trump has been strained, and replace him with Mike Pompeo, the C.I.A. director, within the next several weeks, senior administration officials said on Thursday.

Mr. Pompeo would be replaced at the C.I.A. by Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas who has been a key ally of the president on national security matters, according to the White House plan. Mr. Cotton has signaled that he would accept the job if offered, said the officials, who insisted on anonymity to discuss sensitive deliberations before decisions are announced.

COMMENT:  Sounds good to me.  Mike Pompeo, who graduated first in his class at West Point, is a sound strategic planner.  Tom Cotton is one of the best voices on national security, a man who gave up a brilliant legal career to serve in Iraq. 

It's hard to read Secretary Tillerson.  He was a surprise choice for his current post, having been CEO of Exxon/Mobil.  He may just be a poor fit.

Let's see if the White House tries to knock down the story.

November 30, 2017