* At one time, the president of this country was considered the guardian of stability. It came with the territory of the most important, powerful position in the world. Party affiliation notwithstanding. Now we have the Destabilizer-in-Chief. It worries the world, and it worries all Americans who care about America’s impact and what “calm before the storm” could possibly mean. Those it doesn’t worry? We know who they are and why they still applaud whatever spews from the Oval Orifice occupant.
* “A Russian sword of Damocles hangs over Trump’s head, and it’s suspended by a slowly unraveling thread. If it falls, his presidency is over.”–That’s the prophetic take of Allan J. Lichtman, American University history professor and author of “The Case for Impeachment.”
* Maybe impeachment will become a moot point. That could be one dark takeaway from some curious comments by Tennessee Republican Sen. Bob Corker, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Corker, a Trump campaign supporter, recently referred to Gens. John Kelly and James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson as “the people that help separate our country from chaos.” It’s obvious who “chaos” is–and what the national and global implications are from a chaotic presidency.
You know they’ve all seen “Seven Days in May” by now. Who would Burt Lancaster have played?
* As we now know, no official record of Trump visitors to Mar-a-Lago should be expected. So says the Secret Service, which hasn’t always been this secretive. It says that it has no system to keep track of people who visit Trump in Florida. So there. The perceived rationale: Mar-a-Lago is merely the (oft-visited) “winter White House.” The other one, the one in Washington, does record visitors, and the public has an idea who–from key lobbyists to foreign agents–has had Oval Office access. It matters, if not to the Trump Administration and the selectively Secret Service.
* It’s beyond redundant to keep asking, but how does Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stay on? He lost the confidence of State Department officials below him by cutting staff by a third when he came in–without knowing anything. Then he lost the confidence of the one above, Trump, by comporting himself as an actual diplomat. He also has likely lost the confidence of his international peers. Prospects look slim that T Rex will outlast the ‘moron.”
Speaking of, if nothing else, “President Trump” should be an oxymoron.
* Why would North Korea negotiate with the U.S. when it can see that Iranian negotiations have resulted in Trump trying to undermine and ultimately jettison the agreement that all the other signatories want to maintain. Can this version of the U.S. be trusted?
* It doesn’t get referenced like “The Art of the Deal,” but Trump’s ghost-written 2007 book, “Think Big and Kick Ass in Business and Life,” has lines that continue to resonate ironically a decade later. To wit: “When someone crosses you, my advice is get even. When people wrong you, go after those people because it is a good feeling and because other people will see you doing it. I love getting even.” Just ask the non-Sean Hannity media and Bob Corker.
* Trump, as we’ve seen, has outlandishly inserted himself into the NFL’s National Anthem–and more recently tax-break–issues. No surprise, frankly. Don’t forget he once wanted to insert himself into the exclusive brotherhood of NFL owners. Back in the 1980s he owned the New Jersey Generals of the defunct USFL. He hoped–and lobbied–for an eventual merger that never came close to happening. He didn’t get in the club. As with so much else, he never got over it.
*Vice President Mike Pence left the Colts-49ers game in Indianapolis shortly after some San Francisco players took a knee during the national anthem. We now know that he had been asked to leave by Trump if any players knelt–knowing full well that some 49ers players surely would. We also know that Pence’s pre-planned cameo–including flight and security entourage–was on the public dime. And you know he didn’t fly coach on Allegiant.