Pompeo is less like those other secretaries of State I mentioned and more like Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Secretary Clinton used her office to position herself for her 2016 presidential campaign. As such, she accomplished next to nothing as secretary, save for raising her profile in a manner only adjacent to Barack Obama’s administration.

Like Clinton, Pompeo has had very few accomplishments as a secretary. He has failed to capitalize on Iran’s weak footing both at home and in the region. Whatever trade agreement is being negotiated with China is coming out of Robert Lighthizer’s office, and not Pompeo’s. He has failed to convince European allies to limit the influences of Russia and China in their countries beyond what their original plans were, and the anti-Iran coalition he has established only includes states which already didn’t like Iran, to begin with. His Korea policy has led to no limitation on North Korea’s nuclear program, but it has succeeded in bringing South Korea closer to China and North Korea. As the relationship between Japan and South Korea has deteriorated, Pompeo has done nothing to even contain the problem, let alone solve it.

Why? Either because he’s inept or ambivalent. Or, just as likely, both.