The debate on firearms dominated the interviews today so major developments in the Russia investigation were subordinated to a brief end game conversation on today's "Meet The Press," but justifiably so.
David Brody from the Christian Broadcast Network made the point that people in the heartland [of America] don't care about the Mueller probe and memos and convoluted talk of Russia oligarchs, which makes total sense. Fmr. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest lent the perspective that they may not care now, but when the investigation is finished and Mr. Mueller reports his findings then people will be listening. Basically, what they're telling you is that the American people aren't paying attention to the investigation and because it doesn't effect their daily lives, they don't care. Fair enough. It does remind me of how the American people came around on their collective opinion of the invasion of Iraq. At one point, many people were lead to believe that Saddam Hussein had something to do with 9/11 and that the dictator had weapons of mass destruction. When the heartland started really paying attention to things, it came to conclude that the Iraq War was a terrible decision. People will come around.
But for the readers of a blog such as this, the intrigue of the Russia investigation continues and this week saw the Special Counsel level more charges against Paul Manafort, a cooperation with Rick Gates, and the release of the Democratic memo, which refutes the political motivations of the FBI as outlined in the Nunes memo. (You can read the entire memo below):
U.S. HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE MINORITY MEMO
It's also worth noting, American Enterprise Intitute's Danielle Pletka's point that the connection between Trump and the Russia investigation is constantly reinforced by Trump himself, and that the Special Counsel hasn't come forth with any such evidence. But given what the evidence that Mr. Mueller's investigation has presented, we know that the same Russian oligarch that we mentioned in last week's column, Yevgeny Prigozhin, that owns the Russian troll farm in St. Petersburg is also running a mercenary army made up of Russian soldiers in Syria. As Chuck Todd flatly stated, these Russian mercenaries attacked American soldiers and American-backed troops.
This is a grave matter and the president has no stated position, opinion or plan in light of this revelation. Nor does he acknowledge any sort of need to protect our elections - more examples in an endless line of instances where presidential leadership is need and is absent from this Administration.
Despite the Administration's inaction, it's good to know that individuals in congress, like Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) are putting legislation forward the puts some regulatory measures on advertising placed on social media, a minimal first step, but absolutely necessary. There are regulations for advertising in all other media spaces, why not on social media?
I don't even want to get started on the whole conversation about where Republican Congressional leaders have been in all this, which is nowhere to found.
But...
As Mr. Brody explained, the people of Peoria aren't concerned about the Russian investigation, and I guess by extension Russian soldiers under no flag attacking American soldiers or that a foreign power launched a cyber-war against the United States. (I know, that's not necessarily true, but...)
What they care about is the gun debate, Mr. Brody mentioned, and really it is no less important so understandably it took over today's conversation because we're witnessing the beginning of a political change in this country on guns. The biggest loser will be the NRA, whose own defensive rhetoric is working against itself.
As the panel noted, the NRA's rhetoric is outdated and tone-deaf [David Brody], showing little to no sympathy for the victims, and people are turned off by it as they should be. After so many mass shootings, the argument for every other factor except for the availability of the gun, assault weapons especially, no longer holds up.
When NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch says that the mainstream media loves mass shootings for the ratings and the organization's head, Wayne LaPierre, blames Democrats and their socialist agenda about eliminating the Second Amendment, there is no reason to take you seriously anymore because of its uncompromising extremism.
Corporations who had partnership deals with the NRA are now walking away. Apparently, many companies gave discounts to NRA members and by them walking away, NRA memberships are less enticing because you don't get all those discount benefits that are promised. The question is why did these companies have these discount programs with the NRA in the first place? You get a special discount because you own a gun? How American.
And hardening schools... What does that even mean? The big idea from the right is to arm teachers as President Trump suggested, nay - the NRA suggested and the president repeated. If teachers were armed then they could confront a shooter and protect students, hence needing more guns in the equation to solve the problem. Arming teachers is idiotic on so many levels.
For Mr. Trump, Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA), Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY) and anyone else who thinks it's a good idea to arm teachers, they have no idea what they're talking about. It's a terrible proposal. Teachers are at school to teach, not to be an armed guard. There really aren't enough columns one could write on why this is such a bad idea. The tragic hypotheticals are endless and the questions about how these guns would be handled in the school leave no one feeling comfortable, to say the least. But ludicrous ideas like this advocated by figures on the national stage like the president and Senator Toomey say leave it to the school districts and states to decide. That's what is called passing the buck so that you can stand by ideology without having to take responsibility.
Conversely, None of the proposed regulations such as raising the purchase age or prohibiting bump stocks or requiring universal background checks or banning assault weapons like Mr. Massie argued would stop a mass shooting unto itself, which is an effective argument that gun advocates make because it's true. However, each put the responsibility on a single segment of the society when we all have to be responsible. As a society we haven't been and several measures need to be taken. "Well regulated" doesn't impede "not infringed" which are two phrases used in the Second Amendment. So we should be able to accommodate both.
Panel: Danielle Pletka, American Enterprise Institute; Helene Cooper, The New York Times; Josh Earnest, fmr. White House Press Secretary; David Brody, Christian Broadcast Network
Sunday, February 25, 2018
Sunday, February 18, 2018
2.18.18: From Parkland To St. Petersburg, America Under Attack
Sometimes one can just sit here undecided as to where to start the weekly column because of the unbelievably dire things that happened this week, namely the mass shooting in Parkland, FL at Majory Stoneman Douglas High School and the Special Counsel's filed indictment of a Russian company in St. Petersburg, the Internet Research Agency. Not to mention the God-awful responses by the president on both.
But gnawing fact: 14 year olds.
How many times can it be said in this column, we as a society have failed to act responsibly with our Constitutional rights so laws need to be enacted to protect Americans from gun violence.
Here's the Second Amendment verbatim from the U.S. Constitution:
(Never mind the fact that it's called an Amendment, meaning it can be changed; couldn't agree more with NBC's Carol Lee's opinion of conservative columnist for The New York Times Brett Stephens' call for a repeal of the Second Amendment, and that it was an academic exercise.)
Amendment II
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
If you fight for the Second Amendment, you have to fight for all parts of it, and "well regulated" we are not.
Extrapolating that out, the president and congress are derelict in their oath to protect the American people. As NBC's Carol Lee pointed out, in the wake of this latest mass shooting, the political response has been standard from all sides, with the noted exception of the student victims who are speaking up and shaming politicians on social media. And it is important to note that at the very end of the Mr. Todd's interview with Broward Country Superintendent Robert Muncie, Mr. Muncie said that he was going to support giving a platform to students to speak out on this issue. These students can make a difference if they're empowered by the adult community, and in Florida that certainly seems to be the case. So Rick Scott and Marco Rubio are definitely on notice. In all these mass shootings, the particular circumstances are all a bit different, but the underlying fact remains the gun. Republican politicians and the president, as evidenced by his 7-minute speech, not only do not account for guns in the equation but don't even acknowledge their existence.
As Emma Gonzalez succinctly and appropriately put it: We call B.S.
In Florida, you can buy an AR-15 at eighteen years of age, but you have to wait until you're 21 to buy a handgun. Despite Senator James Langford (R-OK) quoting statistics that outline how more murders are committed with handguns in an attempt to make sense of this law, it simply doesn't measure up. And let not forget that neither does Florida's Stand Your Ground law. It's commendable that Mr. Langford is working on fix the background check, but it's not enough. Mr. Langford was also very clear that there shouldn't be any changes in the ease to purchase firearms, including the AR-15 because according to him they are used for hunting. For the record, any self-respecting hunter doesn't use an AR-15, period. The Oklahoma senator also calmly pass the buck at one point saying that only the courts can change gun laws, which is not the case. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) for his part, clarified that he is against such weapons being for public purchase.
CNBC's Rick Santelli said that gun laws need to be made on a local level, but the suggestion is short-sighted because it doesn't account for buying guns in one state and bringing them to another. He also suggested a point system as the background check where everything you've done is taken into account. Again short-sighted in conservative doctrine as it creates a national database registry system.
For those who say it's not the appropriate time to talk about policy, you would have to wonder whether they're waiting for these tragedies to occur with enough frequency that there is no appropriate time and space to speak about them. It's ridiculous.
As for the NRA... Here's where wish list gets tied to reality.
The other big story of course is the Special Counsel's indictment of 13 Russians. You can read the entire 37 pages right here:
SPECIAL COUNSEL'S OFFICE INDICTMENT, FOR THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
U.S. vs. INTERNET RESEARCH AGENCY, LLC
One of the indicted individuals is a Russian oligarch named Yevgeny Prigozhin, known as Putin's chef, who provided significant funding to the Internet Research Agency, all but implicating the Kremlin in the decision to undertake such an operation as outlined in the indictment.
As Chuck Todd outlined at the very top of the program, the week started out with the heads of all the U.S. intelligence agencies testifying to Congress that Russia committed a cyber attack against the United States, something Russian operatives termed 'warfare,' and it ended with the Mueller indictment confirming it. Yet, the president can only view this attack through a lens solely focused on himself, ignoring the larger implications of what this means for the country. Sadly, we've come to expect as much from Mr. Trump.
But damned if he does and damned if he doesn't comment on Russia, according to Mr. Santelli, who by the time we got to this point in the program should have just kept his mouth shut, spouting shallow opinions. The president shouldn't comment on an attack against the United States? OK, Rick...
As NBC's Hallie Jackson explained, the White House undercut the statement from National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster and really has no coherent response to what to do about the actions of these Russian individuals. And no mention of punishment or prevention. This is something that everyone sees, with the lone exception of the president, or not... Cornell Belcher took us to that logical place, asking where are Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell to take the lead? If these two can not do anything on gun regulation, they have to at least do something on this. If not, then what the point of them? They'd both prove themselves utterly useless by doing nothing on both.
As Ms. Lee explained, this indictment is very narrow, does not implicate or exonerate the president, and is only the beginning. If you've read the indictment and followed the investigation, you know that we haven't even gotten to the financial part of the investigation, which we're sure is coming from Mr. Mueller.
This financial part could include Russian money funneled through the NRA then contributed to the Trump campaign. (It's been out there in the press, from Axios: https://www.axios.com/report-fbi-investigating-whether-1516308991-1efd1e3d-3774-4e6b-abf2-39dff9d6f1d0.html). Name checking a Warren Zevon song, it's all about lawyers, guns and money, but if this is proven to be true there won't be enough of any of them for the NRA to salvage them.
Panel: Hallie Jackson, NBC; Carol Lee, NBC; Rick Santelli, CNBC; Cornell Belcher, Democratic Pollster
But gnawing fact: 14 year olds.
How many times can it be said in this column, we as a society have failed to act responsibly with our Constitutional rights so laws need to be enacted to protect Americans from gun violence.
Here's the Second Amendment verbatim from the U.S. Constitution:
(Never mind the fact that it's called an Amendment, meaning it can be changed; couldn't agree more with NBC's Carol Lee's opinion of conservative columnist for The New York Times Brett Stephens' call for a repeal of the Second Amendment, and that it was an academic exercise.)
Amendment II
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
If you fight for the Second Amendment, you have to fight for all parts of it, and "well regulated" we are not.
Extrapolating that out, the president and congress are derelict in their oath to protect the American people. As NBC's Carol Lee pointed out, in the wake of this latest mass shooting, the political response has been standard from all sides, with the noted exception of the student victims who are speaking up and shaming politicians on social media. And it is important to note that at the very end of the Mr. Todd's interview with Broward Country Superintendent Robert Muncie, Mr. Muncie said that he was going to support giving a platform to students to speak out on this issue. These students can make a difference if they're empowered by the adult community, and in Florida that certainly seems to be the case. So Rick Scott and Marco Rubio are definitely on notice. In all these mass shootings, the particular circumstances are all a bit different, but the underlying fact remains the gun. Republican politicians and the president, as evidenced by his 7-minute speech, not only do not account for guns in the equation but don't even acknowledge their existence.
As Emma Gonzalez succinctly and appropriately put it: We call B.S.
In Florida, you can buy an AR-15 at eighteen years of age, but you have to wait until you're 21 to buy a handgun. Despite Senator James Langford (R-OK) quoting statistics that outline how more murders are committed with handguns in an attempt to make sense of this law, it simply doesn't measure up. And let not forget that neither does Florida's Stand Your Ground law. It's commendable that Mr. Langford is working on fix the background check, but it's not enough. Mr. Langford was also very clear that there shouldn't be any changes in the ease to purchase firearms, including the AR-15 because according to him they are used for hunting. For the record, any self-respecting hunter doesn't use an AR-15, period. The Oklahoma senator also calmly pass the buck at one point saying that only the courts can change gun laws, which is not the case. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) for his part, clarified that he is against such weapons being for public purchase.
CNBC's Rick Santelli said that gun laws need to be made on a local level, but the suggestion is short-sighted because it doesn't account for buying guns in one state and bringing them to another. He also suggested a point system as the background check where everything you've done is taken into account. Again short-sighted in conservative doctrine as it creates a national database registry system.
For those who say it's not the appropriate time to talk about policy, you would have to wonder whether they're waiting for these tragedies to occur with enough frequency that there is no appropriate time and space to speak about them. It's ridiculous.
As for the NRA... Here's where wish list gets tied to reality.
The other big story of course is the Special Counsel's indictment of 13 Russians. You can read the entire 37 pages right here:
SPECIAL COUNSEL'S OFFICE INDICTMENT, FOR THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
U.S. vs. INTERNET RESEARCH AGENCY, LLC
One of the indicted individuals is a Russian oligarch named Yevgeny Prigozhin, known as Putin's chef, who provided significant funding to the Internet Research Agency, all but implicating the Kremlin in the decision to undertake such an operation as outlined in the indictment.
As Chuck Todd outlined at the very top of the program, the week started out with the heads of all the U.S. intelligence agencies testifying to Congress that Russia committed a cyber attack against the United States, something Russian operatives termed 'warfare,' and it ended with the Mueller indictment confirming it. Yet, the president can only view this attack through a lens solely focused on himself, ignoring the larger implications of what this means for the country. Sadly, we've come to expect as much from Mr. Trump.
But damned if he does and damned if he doesn't comment on Russia, according to Mr. Santelli, who by the time we got to this point in the program should have just kept his mouth shut, spouting shallow opinions. The president shouldn't comment on an attack against the United States? OK, Rick...
As NBC's Hallie Jackson explained, the White House undercut the statement from National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster and really has no coherent response to what to do about the actions of these Russian individuals. And no mention of punishment or prevention. This is something that everyone sees, with the lone exception of the president, or not... Cornell Belcher took us to that logical place, asking where are Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell to take the lead? If these two can not do anything on gun regulation, they have to at least do something on this. If not, then what the point of them? They'd both prove themselves utterly useless by doing nothing on both.
As Ms. Lee explained, this indictment is very narrow, does not implicate or exonerate the president, and is only the beginning. If you've read the indictment and followed the investigation, you know that we haven't even gotten to the financial part of the investigation, which we're sure is coming from Mr. Mueller.
This financial part could include Russian money funneled through the NRA then contributed to the Trump campaign. (It's been out there in the press, from Axios: https://www.axios.com/report-fbi-investigating-whether-1516308991-1efd1e3d-3774-4e6b-abf2-39dff9d6f1d0.html). Name checking a Warren Zevon song, it's all about lawyers, guns and money, but if this is proven to be true there won't be enough of any of them for the NRA to salvage them.
Panel: Hallie Jackson, NBC; Carol Lee, NBC; Rick Santelli, CNBC; Cornell Belcher, Democratic Pollster
Sunday, February 11, 2018
2.11.18: What Kinda Unit You Running Here, Soldier?
Lots of discussion on today's program was devoted to White House Chief of Staff General John Kelly and his performance. More importantly, what's President Trump's opinion of his handling a series of issues such as his statement about the wall contradicting the president or his 'DACA applicants are lazy' admission that complicated the administration's stance. Last but not least of the performance questions is General Kelly's handling of Staff Secretary Rob Porter's domestic abuse history, his comments from from day to the next, and Mr. Porter's subsequent firing/resignation.
Here's one obvious but neglected question that needs to be asked of General Kelly:
What kinda unit you running here, soldier?
Someone get Colin Powell in here to give him a dressing down.
The Trump Administration is an utter mess. How many times can you say, "This was the worst week for the Administration?" Seriously. Chuck Todd used the words 'spinning out of control' while The Wall Street Journal's Peggy Noonan repeated the phrase 'chaos and disorder' to describe the administration. What happened to the president hiring 'the best' people? Where's there even a sense of rudimentary professionalism? White House Communications Director Hope Hicks is dating Mr. Porter, and she is the one to write the official statement. White House Counsel Don McGahn has known about Mr. Porter perpetrating domestic abuse for a year. General Kelly we come to find knew about all this in November. All the while neither the president nor (of course) the vice-president knew anything about any of this.
Then...
Marc Short comes on today's program and says the president has 'confidence' in General Kelly. Mr. Short continued that the FBI clearance process for National Security has taken this long to complete, when it was the FBI who had informed Mr. McGahn back in January 2017, and essentially blaming the FBI for slow vetting and that's why they haven't acted until now. After all that, he say that he isn't blaming the FBI. Jared Kushner hasn't been approved for the highest security clearance and he is reading the president's daily briefing, Chuck Todd explained. Mr. Short doesn't, couldn't possibly, have a good answer for any of this.
NBC's Kristen Welker explained that the president isn't going to replace General Kelly because he 'doesn't want more drama' in the administration, which is laughable if it weren't so serious. Understandable questions of character brought by Mr. Gaude unavoidably have to be considered. Ms. Noonan pointed out that many qualified people just didn't want to get Trump's political cooties on them.
The Resurgent's Erick Erickson provided some consolation explaining that under General Kelly, the Administration did get tax reform done. Whether you agree with the policy or not, it's fine to agree that it's good the administration can function on some level. That's what he's really saying. Mr. Erickson said later in the program the President Trump is not a role model. Coming from him, that strikes a chord, be it a soft one.
But here's the rub. Given all the ridiculousness described above, there are more serious matters afoot, namely the Administration denying release of the Democratic rebuttal memo on the Russia investigation. There is no hypocrisy, as Mr. Short charged, in that the Democrats didn't vote for release of the Mr. Nunes's memo while both Republicans and Democrats voted for the release of the rebuttal memo. No... The reason Republicans members of the Intelligence Committee voted for the rebuttal's release is because they're all sick of Mr. Nunes's stupid, nakedly partisan antics, in a committee that shouldn't be partisan.
So when fmr. FBI agent Clint Watts comes on the program and discusses Russian meddling in our elections, of which the aforementioned memo release plays a part, there's little faith in anything being done. With the president trying to block the truth of the matter and his base going along with the notion of 'there's nothing to see here,' the two most important words Mr. Watts uttered: Paper ballot.
Panel: Kristen Welker, NBC; Peggy Noonan, The Wall Street Journal; Eddie Gaude, Jr., Princeton University; Erick Erickson, The Resurgent
One More Thing...
At the end of Mr. Todd's Olympics segment, there was a coming together of which sport both liberals and conservatives could come together on. Without going back, I can't remember what it was because I didn't care. Point is, do us a little favor a do a profile on an athlete or an interview with a former Olympic great instead of having to feel the need to do tongue-in-cheek politicizing of everything. I know, what a Debbie Downer I am.
Here's one obvious but neglected question that needs to be asked of General Kelly:
What kinda unit you running here, soldier?
Someone get Colin Powell in here to give him a dressing down.
The Trump Administration is an utter mess. How many times can you say, "This was the worst week for the Administration?" Seriously. Chuck Todd used the words 'spinning out of control' while The Wall Street Journal's Peggy Noonan repeated the phrase 'chaos and disorder' to describe the administration. What happened to the president hiring 'the best' people? Where's there even a sense of rudimentary professionalism? White House Communications Director Hope Hicks is dating Mr. Porter, and she is the one to write the official statement. White House Counsel Don McGahn has known about Mr. Porter perpetrating domestic abuse for a year. General Kelly we come to find knew about all this in November. All the while neither the president nor (of course) the vice-president knew anything about any of this.
Then...
Marc Short comes on today's program and says the president has 'confidence' in General Kelly. Mr. Short continued that the FBI clearance process for National Security has taken this long to complete, when it was the FBI who had informed Mr. McGahn back in January 2017, and essentially blaming the FBI for slow vetting and that's why they haven't acted until now. After all that, he say that he isn't blaming the FBI. Jared Kushner hasn't been approved for the highest security clearance and he is reading the president's daily briefing, Chuck Todd explained. Mr. Short doesn't, couldn't possibly, have a good answer for any of this.
NBC's Kristen Welker explained that the president isn't going to replace General Kelly because he 'doesn't want more drama' in the administration, which is laughable if it weren't so serious. Understandable questions of character brought by Mr. Gaude unavoidably have to be considered. Ms. Noonan pointed out that many qualified people just didn't want to get Trump's political cooties on them.
The Resurgent's Erick Erickson provided some consolation explaining that under General Kelly, the Administration did get tax reform done. Whether you agree with the policy or not, it's fine to agree that it's good the administration can function on some level. That's what he's really saying. Mr. Erickson said later in the program the President Trump is not a role model. Coming from him, that strikes a chord, be it a soft one.
But here's the rub. Given all the ridiculousness described above, there are more serious matters afoot, namely the Administration denying release of the Democratic rebuttal memo on the Russia investigation. There is no hypocrisy, as Mr. Short charged, in that the Democrats didn't vote for release of the Mr. Nunes's memo while both Republicans and Democrats voted for the release of the rebuttal memo. No... The reason Republicans members of the Intelligence Committee voted for the rebuttal's release is because they're all sick of Mr. Nunes's stupid, nakedly partisan antics, in a committee that shouldn't be partisan.
So when fmr. FBI agent Clint Watts comes on the program and discusses Russian meddling in our elections, of which the aforementioned memo release plays a part, there's little faith in anything being done. With the president trying to block the truth of the matter and his base going along with the notion of 'there's nothing to see here,' the two most important words Mr. Watts uttered: Paper ballot.
Panel: Kristen Welker, NBC; Peggy Noonan, The Wall Street Journal; Eddie Gaude, Jr., Princeton University; Erick Erickson, The Resurgent
One More Thing...
At the end of Mr. Todd's Olympics segment, there was a coming together of which sport both liberals and conservatives could come together on. Without going back, I can't remember what it was because I didn't care. Point is, do us a little favor a do a profile on an athlete or an interview with a former Olympic great instead of having to feel the need to do tongue-in-cheek politicizing of everything. I know, what a Debbie Downer I am.
Sunday, February 04, 2018
2.4.18: A Smoking Memo Unmasked As Dry Ice and the House Speaker's Agenda
If it's printed on a real sheet of paper, it must then be official. I see people on television with it in their hands. They point to paragraphs and specific words.
Regardless of the contents of the memo, which you can read by clicking below, the end result is that despite it being a dud in its explosiveness it accomplished its minimum goal, which was to add something else in the mix to further muddy and attempt to discredit the Mueller investigation.
Now that it's out, members of both parties are unhappy with the result. Congressman Devin Nunes (R-CA) once again proved his loyalty over reason in his defense of the president. Not only has he further whittled away at the reputation and our trust of the FBI and the Department of Justice, but of his own House committee of intelligence, a critical area that needs to remain nonpartisan. Yet now, we have to await a Democratic response memo to Mr. Nunes's memo. As the panel marveled, it's astounding how the party of supposed law and order is attacking the FBI and the Democratic party is the one coming to its defense. Pointing out problems in a institution and still having faith in it do not have to be mutually exclusive notions. However, for Mr. Trump unfounded conspiracy theories fuel unhinged paranoia.
The entire #releasethememo Twitter hype rally was just that. That people out there in the ether would by into such things is one thing, but for politicians to be influenced by Twitter trivia is another. This is akin to Senator Ron Johnson seeing the words 'secret society' in a text message and then actually believing there is one.
Or defensiveness due to the reality he's facing... There's something to the notion that a wounded animal backed into a corner is at its most dangerous. Because it's in its most desperate state. That's where Mr. Trump is with the Russia investigation and though this memo throws out another morsel to chew on, it's not enough to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein or Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
Getting back to Mr. Nunes, we know he's a partisan sycophant of the president - not a very shrewd one - so the release of a memo that even White House Counsel Don McGahn called a political opinion piece. Congress Trey Gowdy (R-SC) who had a significant role in crafting the memo said the memo in no way diminishes his faith in the Mueller investigation. Former Director of the CIA, John Brennan, said in his interview that he's never seen anything this extremely partisan like from what's coming from the House Intelligence Committee now, and that is showed a lack of moral and ethically leadership. Still, we've come to expect as much from Mr. Nunes.
When Chuck Todd asked the Cook Political Report's Amy Walter what she made of all this, I think she summed it up best with, "I'm confused."
What was to be a smoking memo turned out to be four pieces of paper on dry ice.
But the motivations and responsible individuals come into more focus when you think of things in the following terms. These shenanigans and the outward spiraling of chaos they cause rests at the feet of Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan (R-WI), plain and simple. No matter what twists and turns and turmoil the president causes or is caused by the Russian investigation, Mr. Ryan is going to keep moving his agenda forward while at least some people are distracted. If he wanted all this to stop, he could do it at any time by removing Mr. Nunes chairmanship. But he doesn't, and nor will he.
In fmr. White House Chief of Staff, Reince "I felt" Priebus's interview, he gave the simple explanation as to why. Since Mr. Ryan was twenty-one years old, he's been trying enact these kinds of policies and deregulation in line with his Ayn Rand philosophical inclinations. It's Mr. Ryan's ideological agenda is his motivation and for him, Russia and Nunes and memos and tweets all provide a smokescreen for things like the tax bill. Surely, if the president wouldn't keep sabotaging Republican policy efforts along the way, there would be more.
With that said, enough is enough and Mr. Ryan should remove Mr. Nunes from the chairmanship of the committee. From the House Intelligence Committee, there should only be one statement agreed upon by the members of both parties, but under Mr. Nunes that will never happen. He's gone so far that there's no possibility of ever coming back to a compromising position. In other words, the current state of the American politic writ large.
Panel: Yamiche Alcindor, PBS News Hour; Amy Walter, Cook Political Report; Eugene Robinson, The Washington Post; Hugh Hewitt, Salem Radio Network
One more thing...
I won't get into the the entire discussion of the NFL's rating and the problems with the game, of which there are many. The future of the game will be what it will be, but right now, it's pretty widely celebrated, which is good too. It's a good thing that Mr. Trump isn't doing the Super Sunday presidential interview. Football was something that always brought Americans together until Mr. Trump came along so it's good that my stomach won't be upset by an interview while I'm upsetting my stomach with too much food.
What was interesting about the Bryant Gumbel interview was that it was a true 'meet the press' moment as all members of the panel asked the guest a questions. That along with two in-studio interviews... Make someone is listening... or reading as it were.
Have great fun today on Super Bowl Sunday.... Go E-A-G-L-E-S, Eagles!
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