Unclear on the Concept

Trump is such a dimwit – is so dense, so out of touch, so perverted, so all of the above – that he genuinely thinks hugging the flag demonstrates love of country.

Or so it would appear. Has there ever been a better illustration of patriotism being the last refuge of a scoundrel?

I want to see this presidency destroyed. I want to see trump publicy disgraced. But he is so focused on what he calls winning – so compulsively focused, this driven psycho-sicko – he will stoop to things decent people cannot even imagine, let alone actually do, to save his own thin skin. So I probably won’t get my wish.

Removal from office will have to suffice. By any means necessary.

The value of Robert Mueller’s testimony to Congress will be taking the dry legalese of the special counsel’s report, which few have actually read, and converting the best bits to sound bites that show up everywhere from the nightly news to comedy programs to YouTube.

Here’s one line directly from the Mueller Report, already widely quoted, I hope to see in sound bite form:

“...if we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the President clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state. Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, we are unable to reach that judgment.”

Of course, we’ve already got that in sound bite form. Mueller said much the same thing in his May 29 press conference, and it hasn’t made much difference: “...if we had had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so.”

Be that as it may, another quote from the Report:

“Substantial evidence indicates that the President’s attempts to remove the Special Counsel were linked to the Special Counsel’s oversight of investigations that involved the President’s conduct – and, most immediately, to reports that the President was being investigated for potential obstruction of justice.”

And another:

“Recognizing that the President would not be interviewed voluntarily, we considered whether to issue a subpoena for his testimony. We viewed the written answers to be inadequate.”

There are lots more. I eagerly await Mueller’s July 17 testimony, but am simultaneously prepared to be disappointed.

A trump supporter recently attacked me online as a “hater.” Rather than engage, I deleted this remark. Hate is a strong word. I do not hate trump. But I recognize him for the fraud that he is, his transparent corruption, his being such a poor excuse of a president and a human being, and the very real danger he has represented since the day he assumed office.

So very much has already born this out. The worst, I suspect, is yet to come.

Distractions and Sound Bites

Robert Mueller is scheduled to testify before the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees on July 17 – about two weeks from now, as this is written. 

According to a report in the Associated Press, trump has scheduled a rally for that evening in North Carolina. It’s billed as a campaign rally, but it seems pretty clear to me its real purpose is to serve as a distraction from Mueller.

It won’t work.

Of course, Mueller is not expected, at this point, to say much of anything that isn’t already known. “Any testimony from this office would not go beyond our report,” he said at his May 29 press conference. “It contains our findings and analysis and the reasons for the decisions we made. We chose those words carefully and the work speaks for itself.”

But the value of Mueller’s testimony, as I see it, is in reducing that lengthy report, which most people have not read, to a series of easily digestible sound bites – sound bites that will be seen and heard by many millions. Having the words spoken by Mueller himself will give them added weight.

Not likely it will make much difference, in the long run. trump, that charlatan and lowlife – a man so out of touch, he thinks love of country means hugging the flag – will ramp up his distraction, and his abuse on Mueller, the Constitution, the American people, and common sense. This villain must get his comeuppance. His guilt, his corruption, his incompetence, and his lack of human decency are already plain as day.