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Tillerson and Baker say their jobs were worth it, regardless who they were working for

Yes, former U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson knows full well what his former boss thinks of him. But no, he's not willing to get into a war of words with President Trump.

As a guest of the Dallas Citizens Council at their annual meeting Tuesday at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Dallas, Tillerson, the 69th Secretary of State, shared the stage with James Baker III, the 61st Secretary of State who served under President George H.W. Bush. The difference is that Baker worked for his best friend. Tillerson, not so much.

"I am completely delighted that history is appreciating the accomplishments of George H.W. Bush," Baker said as the crowd gathered in a Hyatt ballroom applauded.

It's a relationship Rex Tillerson certainly didn't enjoy. And moderator Jim Lehrer gave him a chance to respond to the latest presidential insult.

"Dumb as a rock and lazy as hell," Lehrer said, quoting a recent Presidential tweet regarding Tillerson. "I hereby as a public service grant you time to respond, if you choose to."

"Well that must have been an observation of my current state of affairs," Tillerson laughed in response. "I'm trying to be very lazy these days but my wife tells me I'm failing."

"So you don't have a response?" Lehrer asked.

"I have no response to that," Tillerson said as the crowd applauded again.

As guests of the Dallas Citizens Council, the former Secretaries of State were asked about Iran, China and North Korea.

"I worry that we've seen this movie before," Baker said of North Korea's promises rarely being kept.

"I am concerned that all of the effect of that policy early on which accomplished what we wanted it to accomplish whether we've now....that's been diminished," Tillerson said of the Trump administration's hard-line stance that led to face-to-face meetings with North Korean leaders. "And whether we can recreate that, I think, is going to be challenging."

As for differences between the men they worked for, James Baker says the man he called "Jefe" or Chief was a foreign policy expert who kept his staff working together, in contrast to the revolving door the current White House has become.

"President Bush was smart enough and knowledgeable enough and adroit and adept enough to make sure that didn't happen in his administration," Baker said.

Tillerson did, however, say he is supportive of what President Trump is trying to do, just not his timing or his tools, whether it's Israel and Jerusalem or tariffs and China.

"Almost all of President Trump's objectives I agreed with," Tillerson said. "I think he has the right objectives. Tactics is where he and I tended to have our differences."

But both men did agree when asked by Lehrer that regardless of differences, being Secretary of State or working in any level of public service is worth the effort, whether you're working for your best friend or someone else.

"I would say absolutely you will never regret serving your country regardless of who you are working for," Tillerson said to applause from the crowd.

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