To believe or not believe? That is the question. Michael Wolff, author of the new, controversial and sold-out book, Fire and Fury: Inside The Trump White House, appeared as Chuck Todd's first guest today to discuss not only its contents but the more importantly, at least to a journalist, the process in which the information was obtained.
Admittedly, I haven't read Mr. Wolff's book yet. As an ordinary consumer, the bookstore was already sold out by the time I went to pick up a copy so it's on order. However, that aside and focusing on the interview and the panel conversation afterward, Mr. Wolff portending himself to be less than forthcoming on his explanations on how he got staffers in the White House to speak about the president with the noted exception of fmr. senior strategist advisor Steven K. Bannon who is on the record in the book. As New York Times Magazine's Mark Leibovich described asking questions of Republicans about the president, it's sort of a two-for. Journalist asks what someone thinks of the president and in turn that someone asks if it's off the record. Danielle Pletka said of the book that there wasn't anything in there that people familiar with the president, including journalists and politicians, didn't already know. Believably, Mr. Wolff said that the president flattered him, saying
"he's great," which stands to reason due to prior reputations in of both
in New York City. It's gossipy journalism.
Pretty dismissive, all things considered.
But here's the rub. If the book doesn't tell us things that people already know then one would have to be alarmed at conclusions such as: Staffers desperately trying to contain the president or that the 25th Amendment is part of the everyday conversation around the White House. How bad it must be that Steve Bannon would go on the record earning himself less powerful friends in Washington, a much lighter wallet and the new monitor, Sloppy Steve. It goes to show that in Mr. Trump's world, you're great until the day you're not, until you are again. It's a significant break, as Mr. Leibovich described on the merit that it does make the Breitbart/ Trump base have to choose sides in a way.
Also, if the book is filled with falsehoods, the president's reaction to it is grown-up schoolyard kind of stuff in nature. He threatens a lawsuit and complains about weak libel laws, really? That the president has felt the need to come out and state that he's a "very stable genius" doesn't inspire any confidence. On the other hand, it confirms how thin-skinned the president is, and as a president that's something you simply can not be. One thing that Mr. Wolff explained made perfect sense with regard to the president's chief of staff John Kelly and his not having seen the president's tweets, to which Mr. Wolff said there was no way in hell (paraphrasing) that he didn't see him. A man like John Kelly doesn't go into a day or situation not knowing or having a good idea of what's coming at him.
Refer to Senator Bob Corker (R-TN): It's like adult daycare in the White House.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions hasn't done anything to help calm things down to let all us know that the adults have any control in the Administration with Freedom Caucus Republicans calling for his resignation over his recusing himself in the Russia investigation. However, Mr. Sessions is ideologically stubborn in wanting to play out the pursuit of his obsessions - as Joy Reid described them - the evils of marijuana and immigration in that there are too many immigrants in The United States. So much for Republican dogma of leaving things for the states to decide. Not to mention there was a New York Times report this week that Mr. Sessions instructed staffers to get dirt on fmr. FBI Director James Comey to discredit him.
Finally, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) clarified for us the difference between political sense and common sense.
According to Senator Graham, we need special investigators investigating other special investigators on the motivations of their investigation. This makes perfect political sense, which is the same as saying it makes absolutely no common sense.
What's that old Steven Wright joke? The opposite of progress is congress.
Lindsey Graham admitted that he's cozied up to the president because he's the president, and that with North Korea, Iran and immigration on the table, Mr. Graham wants a seat at it. However, there have to be ways to achieve that other than the sad inexcusable criminal recommendation he's submitted with Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) against fmr. British intelligence officer, Christopher Steele and the dossier he wrote on Mr. Trump. Mr. Graham needs to take a step back and have some ant-acid, or start giving out free sample packs to us. The first part of his statement today made sense in that Robert Mueller and his investigative team should be empowered and allowed to finish its work. He should just leave it at that. Period, hard stop.
Panel: Joy Reid, MSNBC; Danielle Pletka, American Enterprise Institute; Mark Leibovich, The New York Times Magazine; David Brooks, The New York Times
No comments:
Post a Comment