There have been a lot of questions about whether Rex Tillerson is up to the job of U.S. secretary of state. On his recent trip to Japan, South Korea and China in his new role, he answered some of them, generally not in his favor.

He tested, with little success, the proposition that amateurs have something to offer in the exercise of diplomacy. To be fair, he was thrust into a very complex situation. To be kind, the reviews have been mixed as he rattled sabers, pointedly remarking that the military option is on the table as a means to deal with North Korea while reassuring Pyongyang that it need not fear the U.S.

In dismissing as a failure the past 20 years of carrot-stick diplomacy aimed at getting North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program, he was stating the obvious and offered no fresh proposals. He snoozed his way through Seoul and found the Chinese uncooperative as Washington and Beijing insist the ball is in each other's court. Pyongyang flipped him the bird with another missile test.