The President shouldn’t have minimized the brain injuries suffered by 34 of our military personnel in the Iran missile attack. It showed a lack of compassion and understanding. Even a slight jolt to the brain can result in an impairment of brain functions. There is memory loss, dizziness, severe fatigue, loss of sleep and who knows what else?
The Will of The People
Republicans argument is that removing a sitting President is akin to voiding the will of the people. What is lost here is that Trump received almost 3 million less votes than his opponent. That means that Trump is the President not because of the will of the people but by nature of the Electoral College. It was created because the Founding Fathers couldn’t decide if Congress or the popular vote of citizens should make that call. Hence, a compromise was reached and we have what is now, in my estimation, an imperfect way of electing our President. I am a firm believer that every vote should count and that isn’t the case in presidential elections!
Conscience Pangs
Republicans latest refrain is that the presentation of the truth and associated facts is repetitive. If I were in their shoes I would echo that sentiment but let us be clear, what bothers them isn’t repetition but each fact delivered with a slightly different spin is a jolt to their conscience. Also to their memory since they prefer to forget many facts being mentioned. It is their conscience which reminds them of the oath they took, it is their conscience which reminds them that the facts are true, it is their conscience which tells them that the public will not forget their cult like devotion to Trump and it is their conscience telling them that their elections are in peril!
Senator Blackburn Tweet
I wonder when Republican military personnel will say enough is enough as Trump attacks Generals as losers and Senator Blackburn tweets ridiculous and insulting things about Colonel Vindman? It is said that desperate people will do desperate things and that is what it looks like. The public shouldn’t forget how they smeared the good name of the Ambassador to the Ukraine and now they are doing the same disgusting tactic again.I feel they can’t argue the against the volume of facts so attempted character assassination is now their game!
FOX News Coverage
The impeachment trial is the news of the day and will remain so until it concludes. Some Fox News commentators suggested to their viewer base that they shouldn’t watch the TV coverage and only rely on their channel for brief summations of the proceedings. That stance really makes me shake my head since it definitely implies that they fear the truth and facts being brought out by the Democrats. If you take a cynical view, then you assume that Fox viewers prefer tailor made news to fall in line with what they wish to hear. What ever happened to keeping an open mind, respecting the truth and looking at facts like citizens should do!
Trump’s Tweets Today
We all knew that Trump wouldn’t be able to remain a silent observer to the impeachment trial of him for long. This morning he broke his silence via Twitter. As always, the content of his tweets features Republican loyalists and FOX commentator talking points which always lack facts. The President’s mood will darken more in days to come and we can expect many more ridiculous tweets.
An Unsustainable Position
As Democrats were meticulously presenting evidence against the President, especially when they used Trump’s own, you could see Republican Senators looking uneasy. They all are aware of these words but seeing them as a video narrative in compressed format took them back a bit! How can any of them still believe that by withholding trial witness testimony they are serving for the good of the nation? The time has come for them to drop their FEAR of Trump and do the right thing for the American people. After all, that is what they swore to do and in many cases more than once!
A Brief Moment of Civility
After the end of the impeachment hearing last night, Senator Graham and Representative Schiff had a chance meeting at which time the Senator told Schiff that he had done a nice job with eloquent language. I believe the country wishes to see more of that happening in Congress.
Now I understand!
Given that Representative Adam Schiff is presenting the case against Trump in a facts based scenario, giving appropriate time references, being logical and not over dramatic, I now see why Republicans were vehemently attacking him for the last month. Schiff is competent in what he does and Republicans fear that he is making an impact on the public watching the proceedings. When you compare Schiff’s performance to the one of the White House lawyers it is like seeing the skill of the master against apprentices.
A Judge Wakes Up!
When most of us were in bed, the Chief Justice finally woke up! Roberts had to take measures to stop contentious dialogue in the trial and caution all parties to remember where they were. We shall see today if his words were heard! I do believe that there was one extremely laughable moment when a White House lawyer stated that Trump is a man of his word. Either this lawyer has been in an atomic shelter the past three years or he can no longer distinguish lies from the truth. I don’t think that many Americans will feel that such statements are a sound defense for the President.
Trump’s Witness Statement
Now that Trump has officially announced that he has no objections to the Senate calling witnesses in the impeachment trial since that is within their authority, I hope they will. Of course the past behavior of Republican Senators is that they always FEAR that the President will change his mind and attack them if they do. But the public wonders if these Senators will be able to finally discover that they do have a spine, they took an oath and they are in front of the Chief Justice of the land. Unless their FEAR has taken on such proportion that they are paralyzed and no longer have the power to act on their own!
Potential John Bolton Testimony
Fiona Hill, under oath, in her House testimony mentioned John Bolton as a crucial witness to the Ukraine affair. There appears to be great Republican fear that his appearance in the Senate trial would lead to some shocking revelations about the White House. There first attempt is not to permit any witnesses in the trial but if that should fail, they don’t want Bolton to testify in public in front of cameras but hidden away in some dark room. All that maneuvering indicates that the tale he has to tell is not flattering to Trump!
A Constitutional Argument
Alan Dershowitz, a respected lawyer and now on the Trump defense team, stated a few years ago with passion and conviction that the words in the Constitution pertaining to Impeachment didn’t require that an actual crime be committed. Now he has totally reversed his position and argues that Trump shouldn’t be impeached because he committed no crime. Now we all know that the Constitution hasn’t changed on this issue but Dershowitz has! What has happened to him I ask myself? He certainly has a credibility issue now!
Senate Impeachment Rules
Chief Justice Roberts will be attending morning Supreme Court sessions and in the afternoon switch to preside over the Impeachment trial. Given that the rules outlined by Republicans call for only 2 days with a max of 24 hours for Democrats to present their case, a single session with some breaks could take us into 3 AM of the next day.Not only is that cruel punishment for everyone in attendance but the real intent seems to be to limit public exposure as much as possible. The Republican strategy appears to be: ‘The less the public knows, the better it is for us!’.
Davos Economic Summit
While all media and the public attention will be on the Senate Impeachment Trial, Trump will be attending the Economic Summit in Davos, Switzerland. There one of the main topics is one dear to him; namely’ climate change. Of course, he will be unable to restrain himself as an observer of the trial, he will try to somehow shift the news cycle. I don’t know what Trump will try but I expect an explosive week.
Fox News
The only news correspondent on Fox news I respect is Chris Wallace. He hasn’t bought in hook, line and sinker into the concept that you have to defend Trump at all costs even if all facts are stacked against him. Wallace is willing to ask tough questions from Republicans on his show. If they try to deflect or provide non answers, he does press them to focus on the question. This morning he asked Senator Graham why he now spouts things in contradiction of what he said during the Clinton impeachment. The Senator could only come up with that Republican talking point that some witnesses were not called but seemed to forget that the White House blocked witnesses in the know from testifying.
Senator Graham
The Senator, in spite of his previous negative comments about Trump, has become his best ally against all perceived enemies and in bashing the truth. However, this morning the Senator admitted that Republicans don’t have the votes to dismiss the impeachment charges. He did mount the soap box to reiterate his issues the House impeachment process. I am really interested in his behavior in the upcoming trial. Will he be an impartial juror as he swore to be?
NSA and CIA Impartiality?
The NSA and the CIA had indicated to the House Intelligence Committee that they would provide relevant Ukraine affair documentation. Both agencies have failed to do so based on reports that the White House pressured them not to do so. Withholding such critical documents from the House appears to be a WH attempt to interfere with the impeachment process. This is not exactly a scenario which brings credibility and honor to those functions!
Trump’s Legal Team
The President has finalized his legal team yesterday which will defend him in the impeachment trial. Given that he added a well known lawyer who is an expert on the Constitution, I will make a calculated guess on their defense strategy. Given that so much factual documentation has come out backing up House witness testimony, the argument that this is all a HOAX is not credible to the public. Hence it is time for a major pivot move. You no longer argue against the facts but admit guilt on the Ukraine interference but claim it doesn’t rise to an impeachable offense. The major obstacle to this defense is possibly the President since he has to admit to wrong doing and we know he finds that hard to do!
Parnas Documentation Drip
Leve Parnas was a critical player in the sordid Ukraine pressure conspiracy but he was aided, supported and led by many others. It must be to their chagrin to discover that Parnas was the ultimate hoarder of emails, notes and texts. The constant House release of his documentation paints an ugly picture of deception, lies and false accusations on part of those involved. All of them staunch Republicans who saw and still see no wrong doing in their actions. I can’t see them as role models to the average American.
A Very Stable Genius
Next week Tuesday another book on the President will hit stores nationwide. The book is called ‘A very stable Genius’ and some excerpts from the book were released today. As a veteran I find Trump’s comments made in a Pentagon meeting attended by Top Brass and Cabinet Members disturbing since it undercuts the morale of the military in difficult times.To refer to Generals with the quote: “You are a bunch of dopes and babies.’. Saying that our men and women in uniform are losers and no longer know how to win a war is an insult to every one who served and is serving now to protect us from harm. All of these comments indicate that the Commander in Chief has no understanding of the Chain of Command, military discipline or the battlefield conditions faced by our brave soldiers. I am not surprised that enlistments are down and more members of the military are leaving the service ranks!
Strange Explanation
Republican Rep. Meadows gave two reasons on why the House shouldn’t have moved ahead with impeachment. The trouble is that both reasons are false. His first claim is that no criminal act took place but according to the Constitution suspicion of high crimes and misdemeanor is sufficient ground for impeachment. Committing a crime under the law isn’t mentioned at all. Secondly he complained that there are no first hand witnesses but it is the accused President who wouldn’t let anyone in that category testify. In other words, he didn’t even try to exonerate himself.
Personal Attacks
Republicans are busy attacking Parnas for not being a trustworthy person who is under indictment. A simple defense for him is to admit his wrong doing, which I believe he has, and respond that his illegal campaign contributions were always for the benefit of Republicans and none of them had any issues accepting those funds!
Lying Repeatedly
When someone states that they don’t know a person and repeats that claim as evidence to the contrary mounts and becomes a mountain of evidence, it is fair to call that person a habitual lair? Not exactly something to be considered to be a virtue. Now when the President does it, we should be alarmed!
Representative Nunes Memory Loss
Revelations made by Parnas yesterday seemed to cure Republican Rep. Nunes memory loss. After denying that he had ever spoken to him he admitted at FOX that he did speak with him. I see many more people Parnas mentioned suddenly facing up to the fact that they too had been very cozy with him!
Impeachment Witnesses
The stalemate over impeachment witnesses can easily be broken if Democrats and Republicans agreed that they both; for instance; would name three for each side. However, the Senate Leader knows that the Democratic witnesses can do more damage to Trump than his witnesses can mitigate the charges. We are in a political chess match but the public is beginning to see through it.
A Solemn Moment
After Chief Justice Roberts swears in all 100 Senators today, each one of them must realize that they are now jurors in historical proceedings. For all of them it should mean no more grandstanding, no ranting and raving, no dismissive comments about evidence but a real focus on documentation and called witnesses. The country expects no less than that from them!
Sing, Birdie, Sing
Lev Parnas is a Giuliani associate and closely tied to Trump as many photos of them indicate. Yesterday Parnas shared with the public how the whole Ukraine situation came about and who all was involved. It is not a pretty story since it shows an administration which believes that shady deals are a normal part of government conduct. Tonight we will hear much more on this affair and it is wise for us to listen and determine if we accept such behavior.
USA-China Trade Deal
The Phase One trade deal with China was inked today. I am not versed in the finer points of economics but I have my reservations about this deal.The US is reducing some tariffs right away and permits China to avoid taxes on 160 billion worth of goods while China only makes a commitment to buy more agricultural products and combat intellectual property theft. Since when does an immediate reduction equate to a loose commitment? I begin to wonder if our self proclaimed GREAT NEGOTIATOR is as good as he claims to be. I think we were taken to the cleaners!
Power of Public Opinion
As more documents about the Ukraine affair see the light of day, public opinion now largely favors an Impeachment Trial with witnesses who are in the know on what exactly transpired. This shift has alarmed Republican Senators and even made an impact on The Senate Leader since he admits that there is no chance to dismiss impeachment charges with a quick vote. Public opinion never moves rapidly but once set in motion it is unstoppable. We know that all politicians understand that dynamic and will react to it! That is what we see happening.
Russian Style Democracy
Now that Putin is looking at every angle possible on how he can exploit Russian democracy to remain a political force or even stay in power, our President is probably wishing he had such options. Since they are such good friends, maybe they discussed this topic!
House Impeachment Managers
Now that the Speaker of the House has named the individuals who will prosecute Trump in the Senate, some things are for certain, he will endlessly tweet attack messages against them. On the Democratic side I expect that they will continue to release documents in their possession before the trial to influence the public and undermine the Senate Leader position of no witnesses. With the Chief Justice presiding over the trial, I do expect that all politicians in attendance will rise to the occasion and be at their best behavior.
Russia Lending a Hand
Since Trump’s efforts to get dirt on the Biden’s fizzled, it appears that Russian operatives are filling the void by hacking into the Burisma corporate computer systems to see if they can find incriminating data. Somehow that sounds a lot of what they did in 2016 in their efforts to influence a US election.. The real issue here is that Putin’s people are great at hacking and if they don’t find what they are looking for, they create a story and share it via social media. I fear that they are much more capable than Trump’s Agent 000 also known by code name Giuliani.
Climbing US Deficit
In the past three months the US deficit increased by 11.3% over the same period last year. It is on track to hit one trillion this fiscal year. What ever happened to the scenario that the growth in the economy would raise sufficient tax income as not to increase the deficit? Another issue is that China is by far the largest buyer of US treasuries and that fact alone should be of concern yo politicians.
Potentially Interesting Documents
Giuliani buddy Parnas, whom the President hardly knows even though many photos of them together exist in settings that only a few can participate in, has turned over a ton of documents to House committees via his legal council. Since these documents have the potential to reveal much which can impact the impeachment trial, I am certainly keenly interested in the disclosure of their content. Parnas isn’t an angel by any stretch of the imagination but his proximity and involvement with power brokers make these documents critically important to ll of us.
Confusion Reigns Supreme
One has to wonder what to believe when Trump and Pompeo provide the nation with news updates. After shifting stories of imminent danger to US interests and the final statements that 4 Embassies were potential targets, the State Department function responsible for Embassy security admitted that they were never notified of these impending dangers and received no warning of any kind. That makes you wonder how well coordinated this administration functions? Or is it that at any time the right hand has no clue what the left hand is doing! Obvious shortcomings which put the lives of Americans in danger.
Let Reporters Roam!
Trump admonished the Iranian government for not letting reporters roam to cover the anti government demonstrations. It would be refreshing if he had such understanding attitude toward reporters here. Instead we see the President attacking them for their coverage of him, virtually shutting down press briefings which keep the public uninformed about our government affairs and constantly complaining that anything negative reported is FAKE NEWS or part of some conspiracy to make him look bad. I like to see him extend his wish for freedom of roaming to witnesses who can provide valuable information to the Senate in the upcoming impeachment trial. Wouldn’t that be a win for democracy?
Foreign Military Personnel
The US military expelled a number of Saudi military personnel who were on our soil for training. It seems their behavior wasn’t up to the standards of an Officer and Gentleman. Seems it is time to totally change our current vetting process for anyone coming to us for military training. I know it is a sensitive issue since we are dealing with candidates of various nationalities and religions. But if we are so fearful of terrorists streaming across the border as stated by the White House repeatedly, we must be careful not to invite them!
The Trump Card
The Trump campaign yesterday send out emails asking supporters to choose their favorite design of a ‘Trump Card’. They were given the choice of four card designs all with the former president’s signature in gold lettering. The campaign’s intent appears to be that those acquiring the card are true Patriots from across the country and are showing their support to ‘Save America’. Of course, the card could have other meanings as well since the word ‘trump’ in the dictionary has several meanings. It could imply that those with that card are better than those who don’t have it. The holders may feel that they have more power than anyone else. A peculiar aspect of the word is that originally in the 1700 hundreds it stood for cheating and deceiving someone. But this Trump card may be no more than an attempt to raise funds. The ironic part is that clicking on the link to vote for your favorite design does take you to a fundraising page asking for a minimum donation of $50. I have no doubt that many in Trump’s cult will not only vote on the card design but also donate money and if the card becomes available acquire it even if there is a charge for it. The question which must be asked is how that incoming money will be used? After all, it isn’t given that Trump will even run for office in 2024. If he isn’t on the ballot, what happens to the donated funds? Is he going to keep them in such case?
John Bolton Reemergence
Today’s announcement by John Bolton that he is willing to be a witness at the Senate Impeachment trial makes many of us wonder what it means. Has he missed being in the spot light? Will he exonerate the President? Will he condemn the President? Does he have his own political aspirations? In general, what is he up to? What is a fact for sure is that he knows a lot about the inner workings of the White House which to date he hasn’t shared with the public!
Trump Transparency
The President likes to repeat over and over again that he is the most transparent President in the history of the country. Given that claim, I find it hard to understand why he refuses to release his tax returns like all other Presidents have done. In addition, he has blocked release of documents and ordered staff not to participate in House hearings. That is why I believe that an appropriate Christmas gift for him is a copy of a Websters Dictionary.
Trump Support Fatigue
The President took time at his rally yesterday to criticize a revered Michigan House Representative who has served his constituency for sixty years. Then he proceeded to attack his widow for not having opposed his impeachment. Trump asked: ‘How could she do this after what I had done for her!’. His comments were greeted by moans and disbelief. Since this came a day after his rambling and incoherent letter of his to the House Speaker, there is no doubt that he is in a very foul mood right now.
Impeachment Observation
On the surface it appears that the two articles of impeachment passed on a partisan basis but, I believe, one needs to look at the underlying political current driving the vote count. The House Speaker went on record to sat that Democratic members were free to vote any way they wished but they should have their conscience and oath be their guidance. The Minority Leader instructed Republicans to maintain unity and to attack the proceedings as being a sham and being done too quickly. Meanwhile the President has a reputation to aggressively attack and bully anyone daring to take a stance against him. That means that we can look at the impeachment vote through two lenses. One is that the Democrats voted out of conviction that the President did wrong while the Republicans voted because they feared retribution from their Party Leader, the President. Another possibility is that the Republican party as we know it for many, many years no longer exists and those ramifications are too dire to predict!
A Point of Contention
Republicans like to point out that the House has passed very few legislative bills because of the impeachment process. That claim is highly suspect since many bills were passed to the Senate where the self proclaimed Grim Reaper refuse to bring them to the Senate floor.