Tuesday, May 16, 2017

When in worry when in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout!



I think little Marco is losing the thread.  No offense, but when a U.S. Senator is tweeting those Bible verses, it's not comforting.

Meanwhile, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!  Focus on what's important!

I read the Washington Post story and I read General McMasters response, which tends to refute the story, rebut the story. I think we could do with a little less drama from the White House on a lot of things so that we can focus on our agenda, which is deregulations, tax reform, repealing and replacing Obamacare.

And then the Trump tweets which refute and rebut the McMasters response!  Wheeee!!!!!!!!!  And how's that working out for him?

“He seems to be sort of constantly shifting what his justifications are; he tries one thing and when it doesn’t work he tries something else,” GOP strategist Matt Mackowiak told TPM. “The problem with that is he’s using up the credibility of a number of people inside the White House who’ve spent a lifetime building up their credibility. And they seem willing to be putting that on the line for somebody who doesn’t back them up.”

There were reports of screaming among White House staff last night:



I understand the "prestige" of working in the White House, and that it's always a high pressure job, but honestly:  who would put up with this?  And how long will it go before people start leaving like rats off a sinking ship?

And finally, is this really a defense?

The key is that McMaster says Trump was within his rights to make the decision (true, in terms of legality) and that he and two other top advisors believe it was in fact the correct decision (a subjective call we have no direct way to evaluate.)

The "true in terms of legality" there is, in Josh's own words, "too cute by half."  Trump's action may fall within the strict letter of the law; that does not mean it is not grounds for concern, or even impeachment.  The President may have the ability to declassify information, but that isn't an "absolute right" to do so.  And grounds for impeachment are not limited to clear violations of statutory law.  Grounds for removal are even broader.

The issue remains the same:  "Bottom line: It matters who we have running the most powerful institution in the world."

Adding:  it will be interesting if the involvement of Israel moves some GOP lawmakers to take this matter a bit more seriously:

According to the Times’ sources, “the revelation that Mr. Trump boasted about some of Israel’s most sensitive information to the Russians could damage the relationship between the two countries” because it “raises the possibility that the information could be passed to Iran, Russia’s close ally and Israel’s main threat in the Middle East.”

Israeli spies were reportedly warned by some of their American counterparts earlier this year to avoid sharing information directly with the Trump administration over fears that sensitive intelligence could leak out to hostile powers.
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