I’m sorry you haven’t heard any clarification from anyone in the SC yet, but I did want to confirm that aspect of the statement referred to your other obligations outside this game, not any other obligations in NS.
I can only speak for myself as to why there were votes against, as I was one of them. To tell you the truth, my reasoning is largely linked with the other application we’re considering, the one for Gorundu. In my view there is no question that Gorundu has a greater wealth of experience in this region and more time having worked closely with the SC compared to Fregerson, and did so with consistency. In contrast Fregerson has had a variety of roles but has been fairly inconsistent in performing them. The highs are very high but the lows render his presence in these jobs almost pointless. I understand and appreciate the time constraints and challenges involved in balancing it all. In my view it was not unreasonable, and based on past SC votes this is certainly how we looked at it, to assert that we haven’t seen enough from Fregerson for long enough to determine that now is the right time to join the SC.
I believe Fregerson can get along with the SC, that he can look outward and think critically about the things we focus on as managers of regional security. I know what he’s capable of and I’ve been impressed by his work when he’s there to do it. But that was a shaky term as VD, and we never know what version of Fregerson we’re going to get. I’m confident that focused and present Fregerson can be a good fit for the SC, I was just not in any hurry to make it happen now. And when I look at the remarks of my fellow SCers and how they handled the other application, I can’t help but feel we’re applying a bit of an inconsistent standard on these applicants. It may just be how I look at it, and I recognize every SCer has to vote according to their own personal standards, but I do believe there’s a place for some kind of consistent and present standard that we should be able to apply to a vote, otherwise it seems like we’re just arbitrarily going off one thing or another depending on who is under consideration.
