Rubio Is to Trump What Byrnes Was to Roosevelt

Fmr. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Is Emerging as Possibly the Best U.S. Secretary of State Since 'Jimmy' Byrnes 

I don't often begin my columns with lists, but what I'm about to discuss, in the humble opinion of this writer merits it. 

Let's start with: 

• An accomplished U.S. senator who knew how to get things done, plus a command of foreign policy.
• A keen understanding early on of the greatest threats facing the free world.
• A man brought into an administration during one of the most complex and challenging foreign policy and national security landscapes in American history.
• A man who earned the respect and trust of the president as one who gets things done.
• A man who the president gave more and more responsibility.

If the immediately preceding enumeration of qualities sounds like Fmr. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., now our current U.S. secretary of state, it unqualifiably is.

While all true, the same can be said of American statesman, James F. "Jimmy" Byrnes who distinguished himself during World War II.

In just over a fews months as our nation's chief diplomat serving under President Donald Trump, Rubio has demonstrated his effectiveness in getting things done; that is, delivering results.

As such, President Trump has turned to him time and again, giving him greater responsibility.

It should be noted that in addition to serving as secretary of state, Rubio now also serves as "acting" national security adviser, USAID administrator, and national archivist!

Under Rubio’s leadership at the state department, we’ve seen an effective strategy put in place to curb the influence of Communist China.

We’ve seen real trade wins abroad for American business.

We’ve also witnessed a U.S.-brokered ceasefire between India and Pakistan.

And, let's not forget, we’ve seen American citizens, unjustly detained abroad, now returning home.

Like Rubio, James Byrnes was an effective U.S. senator who saw the greatest threat of his generation’s time, early on.

Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, consistently warned of the real threat from Communist China at the very beginning of his service in the U.S. Senate.

He well-understood before others that placing second in both the Quantum and AI races is not an option for America. Landing in anything other than first place, can't be, if we're to survive as a nation.

Likewise, Byrnes, the grandson of Irish Catholic immigrants to South Carolina, grasped the threat posed by Nazi Germany and Adolf Hitler in the 1930s.

In the Senate, he was a consistently strong voice in supporting President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s efforts to aid Great Britain in the fight against the Nazis, and of taking a tough diplomatic stance against Japan.

Early in his third term, Roosevelt appointed Byrnes as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Following the United States' entrance into World War II, Roosevelt knew he needed Byrnes to help with the war effort.

Byrnes resigned from the high court in what was the shortest tenure of any Supreme Court Justice. During World War II, Byrnes served FDR’s administration as director of the office of economic stabilization, and director of the office of war mobilization.

Most importantly, he oversaw the Manhattan Project.

Following Roosevelt’s death at the age of 63, on April 12, 1945, in Warm Springs, Georgia, President Harry S. Truman named Byrnes secretary of state.

This writer is not in the least surprised by Sec'y Rubio’s early successes.

In 2015, I conducted one-hour C-SPAN interview, a discussion focusing on foreign policy and national security.

His answers to my questions were like responding rapid machine gun fire.

Only 20 minutes elapsed, when I realized he had already answered 50% of my questions.

Fortunately, for me, as the interview continued, I was able to think of enough additional questions to fill that hour!

Rubio is a voracious reader of all things foreign policy, reading about global affairs while traveling.

In our new secretary of state, we have a most trustworthy lieutenant serving President Trump. Someone who can unquestionably get the most arduous of tasks accomplished.

He is to Trump what Byrnes was to Roosevelt.

Let’s face it, in more ways than one, our nation's 47th commander in chief inherited a mess.

Rubio, and his foreign policy team, will ensure that the Trump presidency is well on its way to resetting the global realpolitik game, placing it firmly in America's favor.

We are indeed fortunate to have a modern day Jimmy Byrnes as our current secretary of state. And we are doubly fortunate to have a president who recognizes that kind of ability when he sees it.

Our nation and allies deserve nothing less!

Van Hipp is Chairman of American Defense International, Inc. He is the former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Army and author of "The New Terrorism: How to Fight It and Defeat It." He is the 2018 recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Sept. 11 Garden Leadership Award for National Security. Read Van Hipp's Reports — More Here.