With regard to the on-again, off-again summit between President Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, the feeling is that it is going to happen, if not solely for the sake of the event and the photo opportunity. But make no mistake, Mr. Trump decision to rush into this summit diminishes the status of the United States and is amateurish in deal-making at the least.
It's a lose-lose for President Trump. He's not going to get the concession he wants, which is total denuclearization of North Korea while the North Korean dictator gets recognized with equal status to the president. Way to go, Mr. Trump.
As Victor Cha explained today, North Korea who has been building toward nuclear capability for the past 50 or so years is not going to just give it up. Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ) answered Chuck Todd's query by saying that the best we could hope for is that North Korea winds down their nuclear program over time. And what makes us think that Kim Jong Un will act in good faith? Answer: Nothing. Yet, the United States going to give the sanctions relief for saying a few conciliatory words? That's called 'getting played.'
And though China doesn't have a seat at the table, it is definitely pulling the strings. President Xi is the one to come out ahead in all this. He'll be able to resume economic assistance unfettered with North Korea while getting help to put ZTE back into full business in the United States, something that even many Republicans in Congress have come out against due to the national security risk. Senator Flake called it 'commercial espionage.'
One has to wonder when this administration is going to get on the same page with regard to North Korea, let alone anything else. National Security Advisor John Bolton wants to send this country to war with North Korea, and Iran for that matter. The lives of American soldiers amount to very little in his historically ill-advised hawkish ideology. He cited the Libya model, and we know how that turned out for Muammar Gaddifi. Kim certainly has that in mind and simply will not give up his nukes, not now and not eventually. And speaking of Iran, Andrea Mitchell, who always makes a good point, asked the question of having thorough inspections. How would inspections in North Korea be more thorough than the internationally-back strict regime of inspections of Iran's nuclear program, a deal that Mr. Trump pulled out of.
Not only is Mr. Trump succeeding at making a mockery of the office of the presidency of the United States domestically, he's doing his best to achieve the same status on the international stage as well.
Let's end it there for today...
Panel: Andrea Mitchell, NBC News; Amy Walter, The Cook Political Report; Eugene Robinson, The Washington Post; Matthew Continetti, Washington Free Beacon
A couple more things...
NFL owners are gutless. It's true that the kneeling during the national anthem wasn't a real issue until President Trump made it one. His state that players who kneel should be in the country is beyond the pale. The owners of the NFL teams gave into this bullying and therefore really aren't deserving of the profits they're trying so hard to protect. As for fans who disagree with the protest, if you can not separate your feelings of not liking it while respecting an individual's right to protest, you're not a patriotic American.
And speaking of patriotic Americans, as always on Memorial Day we should be thinking of our troops who put their lives on the line daily to protect our rights to liberty, justice and the pursuit of happiness. However, this Memorial Day it's impossible not to think of the fact that more students have died in school shootings than active service members have died in combat this year. Depending on what site you look up, the exact numbers are different but they all show the same dynamic - twice as many students have been killed than soldiers in 2018.
Sunday, May 27, 2018
Sunday, May 20, 2018
5.20.18: On the Cheap - Prayers and Mr. Trump
One can not help to think that if the Republican-controlled Congress had the information that we all now know and a Democrat was the president, they would already be halfway through an impeachment process at this point, even without knowing all the facts.
And that is what is needed, the facts. Operatives for the president, like Roger Stone and Rudolph Giuliani are expected to put up a fierce defense, and as infuriating as their answers and conduct can be, we'd expect no less.
However, when you pledge to defend the Constitution like Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH), Mark Meadows (R-NC) and Devin Nunes (R-CA) have and then break that oath, it's not only reprehensible but un-American. These three men need to be called out because they do not deserve the offices they hold.
In terms of Roger Stone and his answers to Mr. Todd's queries, he obviously had advanced notice of what Wikileaks was going to do to damage the Clinton campaign. He can nuance his answers all that he wants but any reasonable person would understand that Mr. Stone knew what was going to happen and that a foreign actor was going to meddle in the campaign for President of The United States. He can go into the semantics all he wants, trying to convince, incorrectly, that 'the' means plural or other such nonsense, but it just doesn't wash. As Hugh Hewitt pointed out, Mr. Stone is worried about 'extraneous crimes,' in lieu of his statement that no collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign has been proven. But what about other entities?
Well, in today's reporting by The New York Times, we now know what Donald Trump Jr.'s main job was during the campaign and that was to get campaign help from as many foreign entities, actors and governments as possible to help his father win. Doing this is a crime by the way despite what Mr. Giuliani would tell you.
Chuck Todd pointed out to guest Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA), ranking Democratic member of the Intelligence Committee that four people have not been interviewed by the special counsel - Donald Trump Jr., Brad Parscale, Michael Cohen and the aforementioned Mr. Stone. Mr. Schiff outlined two possibilities for this. One, Mr. Mueller's team is saving those interviews or that these individuals are targets of the investigation. Well, considering that Michael Cohen is about to be indicted in the Southern District of New York, it's logical to conclude that it is because the others are targets, as they should be.
Hallie Jackson reported that the Administration, Mr. Trump, is furious about all these stories coming out, so why would that be? He's furious that the truth is coming out and that it's being reported to the public? If the investigation is a 'witch hunt' as the president says it is then why hide these meetings?
Chuck Todd speculated that these foreign entities, including Israel, saw Mr. Trump as a transactional figure, from whom they could extract something for themselves. Some great deal maker, Mr. Trump moved the embassy to Jerusalem without asking anything of Benjamin Netanyahu. He got played. Mr. Trump, it seems, can be bought and sold on the cheap.
What also seems to be cheap these days is prayers. Prayers for more victims of another school shooting, nice as they are which Mr. Trump offered, do nothing. "Not surprised, just scared," Paige Curry, student survivor at Santa Fe High School said of the shooting. Texas's Lt. Governor Dan Patrick is on record recommending fewer doors in schools and arming teachers. In the Socratic method, one can not illicit 'dumb' answers, but Mr. Patrick has proven that axiom false. As this column has stated before, arming teachers is not the solution. Typically, every 'solution' will be put on the table with the exception of even modest gun control measures. As the panel discussed, state governors will act, because their state residents will demand it, but as Ms. Jackson said, Congress has little appetite for any gun laws because they salivate for NRA cash contributions.
As PBS's Yamiche Alcindor said, it will be up to today's young generation to change things because they've "grown up at rock bottom." Our leaders have really failed us on this.
Panel: Hallie Jackson, NBC News; Yamiche Alcindor, PBS News Hour; David Brooks, The New York Times; Hugh Hewlitt, Salem Radio Network
One more thing...
I disagree with Hugh Hewitt on many things, but he did have a likeable quote today, "Live with what you tweet." He directed it at Roger Stone, but that was one for the president as well.
And that is what is needed, the facts. Operatives for the president, like Roger Stone and Rudolph Giuliani are expected to put up a fierce defense, and as infuriating as their answers and conduct can be, we'd expect no less.
However, when you pledge to defend the Constitution like Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH), Mark Meadows (R-NC) and Devin Nunes (R-CA) have and then break that oath, it's not only reprehensible but un-American. These three men need to be called out because they do not deserve the offices they hold.
In terms of Roger Stone and his answers to Mr. Todd's queries, he obviously had advanced notice of what Wikileaks was going to do to damage the Clinton campaign. He can nuance his answers all that he wants but any reasonable person would understand that Mr. Stone knew what was going to happen and that a foreign actor was going to meddle in the campaign for President of The United States. He can go into the semantics all he wants, trying to convince, incorrectly, that 'the' means plural or other such nonsense, but it just doesn't wash. As Hugh Hewitt pointed out, Mr. Stone is worried about 'extraneous crimes,' in lieu of his statement that no collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign has been proven. But what about other entities?
Well, in today's reporting by The New York Times, we now know what Donald Trump Jr.'s main job was during the campaign and that was to get campaign help from as many foreign entities, actors and governments as possible to help his father win. Doing this is a crime by the way despite what Mr. Giuliani would tell you.
Chuck Todd pointed out to guest Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA), ranking Democratic member of the Intelligence Committee that four people have not been interviewed by the special counsel - Donald Trump Jr., Brad Parscale, Michael Cohen and the aforementioned Mr. Stone. Mr. Schiff outlined two possibilities for this. One, Mr. Mueller's team is saving those interviews or that these individuals are targets of the investigation. Well, considering that Michael Cohen is about to be indicted in the Southern District of New York, it's logical to conclude that it is because the others are targets, as they should be.
Hallie Jackson reported that the Administration, Mr. Trump, is furious about all these stories coming out, so why would that be? He's furious that the truth is coming out and that it's being reported to the public? If the investigation is a 'witch hunt' as the president says it is then why hide these meetings?
Chuck Todd speculated that these foreign entities, including Israel, saw Mr. Trump as a transactional figure, from whom they could extract something for themselves. Some great deal maker, Mr. Trump moved the embassy to Jerusalem without asking anything of Benjamin Netanyahu. He got played. Mr. Trump, it seems, can be bought and sold on the cheap.
What also seems to be cheap these days is prayers. Prayers for more victims of another school shooting, nice as they are which Mr. Trump offered, do nothing. "Not surprised, just scared," Paige Curry, student survivor at Santa Fe High School said of the shooting. Texas's Lt. Governor Dan Patrick is on record recommending fewer doors in schools and arming teachers. In the Socratic method, one can not illicit 'dumb' answers, but Mr. Patrick has proven that axiom false. As this column has stated before, arming teachers is not the solution. Typically, every 'solution' will be put on the table with the exception of even modest gun control measures. As the panel discussed, state governors will act, because their state residents will demand it, but as Ms. Jackson said, Congress has little appetite for any gun laws because they salivate for NRA cash contributions.
As PBS's Yamiche Alcindor said, it will be up to today's young generation to change things because they've "grown up at rock bottom." Our leaders have really failed us on this.
Panel: Hallie Jackson, NBC News; Yamiche Alcindor, PBS News Hour; David Brooks, The New York Times; Hugh Hewlitt, Salem Radio Network
One more thing...
I disagree with Hugh Hewitt on many things, but he did have a likeable quote today, "Live with what you tweet." He directed it at Roger Stone, but that was one for the president as well.
Sunday, May 06, 2018
5.6.18: President Trump Is Compromised From All Sides
When the discussion all week via conservative media outlets and more liberal media outlets is about the president's credibility, you know there is a problem, and in this case a big one. As Danielle Pletka from the American Enterprise Institute put it, we should be worried because it's a matter of leadership or the lack thereof.
There's little dispute that President Trump lies to the American people on an unprecedented scale and frequency. The president and his stupid new lead attorney, Rudolph Giuliani, have made enough conflicting statements about the $130,000 payment to Stephanie Clifford that they have both lost all credibility on the matter, and until the matter actually comes up in court, Ms. Clifford's attorney, Michael Avenatti is going to try this case in the press. (The case they have against Michael Cohen has been delayed due to Mr. Cohen's criminal legal troubles.) What Ms. Clifford and Mr. Avenatti are fighting for is the right to tell her complete story without legal repercussions that of course would cause great personal embarrassment to President Trump. What it will cost President Trump is not only embarrassment, but also what he covets the most, money. If the alleged affair officially moves from that status to being confirmed, surely Mrs. Trump will file for divorce, which will come with a heavy price tag. Additionally, the president's political fortunes will also turn, especially if he loses evangelical support amongst his base. Why evangelicals still support Mr. Trump is beyond reason, but that's a longer discussion for another time.
All these conflicting explanations on the part of his president and his attorney have compromised the president's ability to be taken seriously and to do what is best for the country and the American people. As The Boston Herald's Kimberly Atkins stated, the facts have become irrelevant. If the president can not level with the American people on the small stuff, how are we to believe him when a real crisis hits, or to do the right thing to protect our democracy, which he is definitely not doing therefore breaking his oath as president to uphold the Constitution and protect the American people.
And here we're talking about Russian meddling in the 2016 election. As The Washington Post's Robert Costa noted, the administration seems to be operating separately from the president himself. The Administration, Mr. Costa explained, are continuing to carry out many policies of the Obama Administration, but when it comes to Russian election meddling, it's the president sets the agenda, the response, the preventative measures.
Why hasn't President Trump taken action? It's clear that in some way, shape or form that President Trump is compromised by the Kremlin.
Whether it's something more intimate stemming from the Steele dossier or it's the president's finances or both, the president is not taking the initiative to stop the Kremlin from meddling in U.S. elections, and the danger is if Mr. Putin decides to move from disinformation to straight up hacking to do permanent damage to our democracy, the president will once again lie about it and use it for his own authoritarian inclinations.
Former ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul outlined a number of reasons behind Mr. Putin's motivations for 'taking the gloves' off when it comes to going on the offense against the United States, which were:
Hillary Clinton's statements as Secretary of State, saying that Mr. Putin's election wasn't legitimate;
the national embarrassment over the Olympic doping scandal;
the release of the Panama papers, which exposed the wealth of Mr. Putin and other Russia oligarchs;
and the last straw, Mr. Putin blaming the CIA for the ousting Viktor Yanukovych as president of Ukraine.
Speaking of Ukraine, with all due respect to Alan Dershowitz and the judge in Virginia both saying that the Mueller investigation is going outside its scope in bringing money-lauding charges against former Trump Campaign chairman Paul Manafort, it's hypocritical. The parameters have been set by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and include any criminal activity stemming from the investigation. The reason it's hypocritical is that President Bill Clinton was investigation by Specical Counsel Kenneth Starr for the Whitewater land deal, but then the Monica Lewinsky affair came to his attention and he went after President Clinton for that. How did that affair have anything to do with real estate? Nothing.
President Trump for his part has been forced to admit that there was Russian meddling in the U.S. election, but since he's done nothing about it. And why? Because President Trump, it surely seems, has been compromised. There's no other explanation.
For additional reading on Russia protests of Mr. Putin's fourth term inauguration, see this article from yesterday's Washington Post: Russian Police Detain 1,600 Protesters
Panel: Kimberly Atkins, The Boston Herald; Danielle Pletka, American Enterprise Institute; Robert Costa, The Washington Post; Jon Meacham, historian
One more thing...
Though this column has not always agreed with his positions, and over the years he has made some questionable decisions (haven't we all), Senator John McCain (R-AZ) is a true American patriot and hero. America needs more leaders like him who stand up for their principles though you don't always agree with them.
That needed to be written into this blog's record because President Trump dishonoring Senator McCain has been among his most despicable statements.
Best to the Senator and his family in a most difficult time.
There's little dispute that President Trump lies to the American people on an unprecedented scale and frequency. The president and his stupid new lead attorney, Rudolph Giuliani, have made enough conflicting statements about the $130,000 payment to Stephanie Clifford that they have both lost all credibility on the matter, and until the matter actually comes up in court, Ms. Clifford's attorney, Michael Avenatti is going to try this case in the press. (The case they have against Michael Cohen has been delayed due to Mr. Cohen's criminal legal troubles.) What Ms. Clifford and Mr. Avenatti are fighting for is the right to tell her complete story without legal repercussions that of course would cause great personal embarrassment to President Trump. What it will cost President Trump is not only embarrassment, but also what he covets the most, money. If the alleged affair officially moves from that status to being confirmed, surely Mrs. Trump will file for divorce, which will come with a heavy price tag. Additionally, the president's political fortunes will also turn, especially if he loses evangelical support amongst his base. Why evangelicals still support Mr. Trump is beyond reason, but that's a longer discussion for another time.
All these conflicting explanations on the part of his president and his attorney have compromised the president's ability to be taken seriously and to do what is best for the country and the American people. As The Boston Herald's Kimberly Atkins stated, the facts have become irrelevant. If the president can not level with the American people on the small stuff, how are we to believe him when a real crisis hits, or to do the right thing to protect our democracy, which he is definitely not doing therefore breaking his oath as president to uphold the Constitution and protect the American people.
And here we're talking about Russian meddling in the 2016 election. As The Washington Post's Robert Costa noted, the administration seems to be operating separately from the president himself. The Administration, Mr. Costa explained, are continuing to carry out many policies of the Obama Administration, but when it comes to Russian election meddling, it's the president sets the agenda, the response, the preventative measures.
Why hasn't President Trump taken action? It's clear that in some way, shape or form that President Trump is compromised by the Kremlin.
Whether it's something more intimate stemming from the Steele dossier or it's the president's finances or both, the president is not taking the initiative to stop the Kremlin from meddling in U.S. elections, and the danger is if Mr. Putin decides to move from disinformation to straight up hacking to do permanent damage to our democracy, the president will once again lie about it and use it for his own authoritarian inclinations.
Former ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul outlined a number of reasons behind Mr. Putin's motivations for 'taking the gloves' off when it comes to going on the offense against the United States, which were:
Hillary Clinton's statements as Secretary of State, saying that Mr. Putin's election wasn't legitimate;
the national embarrassment over the Olympic doping scandal;
the release of the Panama papers, which exposed the wealth of Mr. Putin and other Russia oligarchs;
and the last straw, Mr. Putin blaming the CIA for the ousting Viktor Yanukovych as president of Ukraine.
Speaking of Ukraine, with all due respect to Alan Dershowitz and the judge in Virginia both saying that the Mueller investigation is going outside its scope in bringing money-lauding charges against former Trump Campaign chairman Paul Manafort, it's hypocritical. The parameters have been set by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and include any criminal activity stemming from the investigation. The reason it's hypocritical is that President Bill Clinton was investigation by Specical Counsel Kenneth Starr for the Whitewater land deal, but then the Monica Lewinsky affair came to his attention and he went after President Clinton for that. How did that affair have anything to do with real estate? Nothing.
President Trump for his part has been forced to admit that there was Russian meddling in the U.S. election, but since he's done nothing about it. And why? Because President Trump, it surely seems, has been compromised. There's no other explanation.
For additional reading on Russia protests of Mr. Putin's fourth term inauguration, see this article from yesterday's Washington Post: Russian Police Detain 1,600 Protesters
Panel: Kimberly Atkins, The Boston Herald; Danielle Pletka, American Enterprise Institute; Robert Costa, The Washington Post; Jon Meacham, historian
One more thing...
Though this column has not always agreed with his positions, and over the years he has made some questionable decisions (haven't we all), Senator John McCain (R-AZ) is a true American patriot and hero. America needs more leaders like him who stand up for their principles though you don't always agree with them.
That needed to be written into this blog's record because President Trump dishonoring Senator McCain has been among his most despicable statements.
Best to the Senator and his family in a most difficult time.
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