Why Tillerson kissed Trump's ring today

Tillerson’s desire to remain on the job is a stabilizing move. Although Tillerson has been a poor public communicator at the State Department, his departure now would be widely seen as damaging to America’s already fragile position in a world disrupted by Trump’s erratic policies. Tillerson sought to rebut an NBC News report that he had to be talked out of quitting in frustration last summer and that he had called the president a “moron” after a meeting at the Pentagon. He said he had never considered resigning. But on the “moron” comment, he refused to answer such “petty nonsense,” a non-answer that to some ears will sound like a confirmation. Tillerson rang all the bells in his adulatory comments about Trump. He said he had learned that Trump “loves his country,” is “smart” and properly insists on “accountability.”