December 11, 2019--Presidential Obituaries

It is claimed that if a president is impeached it will be mentioned in the first paragraph of his obituary.

Here's what Wiki has to say about Andrew Johnson, the first to be impeached--

"He came into conflict with the Republican-dominated Congress, culminating in impeachment by the House of Representatives. He was acquitted in the Senate by one vote."

And about Richard Nixon--

"A vigorous campaigner for Republican candidates while serving as the nation's 36th vice president from 1953 to 1961, and as a representative and senator from California, he became the only president to resign from the office due to his involvement in the Watergate scandal."

Then, Bill Clinton--

"In 1998, Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives. The impeachment was based on accusations that Clinton committed perjury and obstruction of justice for the purpose of concealing his affair with Monica Lewinsky, a 22-year-old White House intern. He was acquitted by the Senate and completed his term in office."

This will be true for Donald Trump as his impeachment is all but inevitable.

Even for ahistorical Trump this must be on his mind. How he will be remembered by posterity. And also for senior members of his administration as they too will be remembered this way. Bill Barr, for example, who is his (and I underscore his) Attorney General and all-round lackey.

I have been wondering this week about Barr who is so much in the news. Is this how the erstwhile establish Republican seeks his place in history? Isn't it enough that he is the only American to be named Attorney General by two different presidents--George H.W. Bush and Trump?

Clearly not.

Could it be that he doesn't care because he knows how very few Americans know anything, anything about their country's history?

Clearly he doesn't. It is certain that Trump knows even less.

But still, he, they know something and what will be said about them after they are gone must rankle them.

At least that is my hope.

October 4, 2019--Benghazi Redux

At taxpayer expense, I am sure, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his wife are galavanting around Italy, visiting diplomatic hot spots such as the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. And yes having a private audience with the Pontiff. 

He also may or may not meet up with Bill Barr, our Attorney General, who is also in Italy, also with his wife. I think more to chow down than carry out Trump's agenda for him--to get dirt on how the hated Mueller investigation got gong. 

The impeachment inquiry spotlight is moving on to the two cabinet secretaries, and I am certain they are happy to be hidden away for the moment in the Hassler. As far from Trump as possible, who in the meantime is again in Florida playing golf.

Did I miss the memo that it's already Spring Break?

When Pompeo finally gets home I have an idea about how to reward him for his loyalty and service to the country. Something that he can include on his resumé as he prepares in four years to run for the presidency. Of the United States--

Now that he has been caught in a baldfaced lie--after denying that he was in fact listening in on Trump's infamous July 25th phone call with the president of Ukraine he was compelled to admit he was and as a result will certainly be called to testify before Adam Schiff's impeachment committee. 

When he does so, I have just the person who should interrogate him, who deserves to do so--Hillary. Yes, that Hillary.

In 2015 Pompeo was a member of Congress and on the House committee that interrogated Hillary Clinton who had been secretary of state when our diplomats were killed in Benghazi. She was questioned for more than eleven hours, most aggressively, most mean-spiritedly by Congressman Pompeo.

Schiff is apparently planning to have most of the questioning of witnesses done by staff and outside council. Like what the Rodino committee did during the Watergate hearings.

Why look any further than Hillary? She qualifies--she's a lawyer and God knows would have the motivation.

I'd pay to be there.

October 2, 2019--What's Up With Australia?

Before we could sit, John Allan said, "What's up with Australia?" His face with his new beard made him look cherubic. His eyes were as lively as I had seen for some time. He looked as if he had shed ten years since we had coffee with him just a few days ago.

"What's up with you?" I asked. 

"I was taking a shower and listening to NPR and they seemed to be talking about Australia. Is anything going on down there?" He was grinning and winking.

"I think I know what you're referring to," I said, "Trump."

"Right you are," John said, clapping his hands, now smiling playfully, "Remember George Papadopoulos? A low-level Trump operative who was stirring around looking for dirt about Hillary for the 2016 election? He somehow managed to meet with a high-level Australian diplomat in London who told him the Russians had stuff that could undermine Hillary's campaign. Including, I think, that the Ukrainians had their hands on a server that held thousands of her emails."

"I'm with you," I said, sliding into the booth.

"So, according to NPR Trump recently asked his cultural conservative pal, the Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, who rose to prominence by leading the effort to close Australia's borders to refuges and immigrants, Trump asked him if he would help Attorney General, Trump's poodle, Bill Barr, who was traveling the world to gather information about the origins of the Mueller probe."

"He can't give that up," Rona said, "Even though he dodged the Mueller bullet, he's still obsessed with it."

"He never can let go of anything, especially anything critical of him," John said. "Even the smallest things. But that's just the beginning of the breaking news. All afternoon on Monday, beginning about 4 o'clock, there was one bombshell after another. First, we learned that Rudy was subpoenaed by three House committees to turn over to them documents about his Ukraine-related dealings."

"Next," Rona said, "we heard that Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, was on the line during Trump's call with Ukraine president Zelezney. The 'do-us-a-favor' call that may turn out to be the smoking gun that brings Trump down."

"Then," John said, "there was the breaking news that Barr is on an undisclosed worldwide trip to gather dirt about his own FBI and the CIA. Specifically what they did to undermine Trump and help bring about the Mueller investigation. Barr's in Italy now."

"From the look of him," I said, "he's spending most of his time in trattorias."

"Nasty, nasty," John said, enjoying every word and tidbit of news and gossip, "We could go on," he said.

"I think it's the beginning of the end," Rona said. She's not prone to be optimistic about these matters.

"That's why you're looking so energetic and youthful," I said to John, "It's not just your beard." 

"I got some sleep and woke up at two in the morning, not as usual to anxiasize, but to see if there was any new news since I had gone to bed."

Rona said, "Speaking of sleep, I heard from my sister that my brother-in-law, for the first time in more than two years, had a good night's sleep."

October 1, 2019--2018 Midterms

If one needs evidence about the importance of voting, look no further than the 2018 Midterms.

If people hadn't turned out the Democrats would not have gained control of the House of Representatives and if that hadn't occurred we wouldn't know about Rudy Giuliani freelancing in Ukraine; we wouldn't have learned as we did yesterday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was on the line in July when Trump attempted to get the Ukrainian president to come up with dirt about Joe Biden and his son; and we wouldn't have heard about Attorney General Bill Barr's intentional mischaracterization of the Mueller Report and all the other scut work he has done to protect and cover for his president.

And who knows what breaking news there will be today.

So, if you know of anyone who says they are not planning to vote unless Bernie or Mayor Pete or Elizabeth Warren or Joe Biden is nominated, take them aside, put an arm on their shoulder, and remind them of this.

May 6, 2019--Jack's List

"I hear you're coming my way."

"In fact we're already in Maine."

"Thought you could slip into my territory without my noticing did you?"

Jack was half right. We did get to Maine on Sunday and to tell the truth I wasn't that eager to be under pressure to see him.

"I'm ready for you," he said, sounding rambunctious. "In fact, in anticipation of your showing up I even made a list of the things we need to talk about."

"Need?" I had the hope that his catch-up list was more about the Red Sox and Yankees than Trump and Barr.

"Top of my list," he said, "is our attorney general, Barr."

So much, I thought, for the Yanks and Sox.

"Barr, for example. He seems to pride himself as being a linguist," Jack said. "A couple of weeks ago, to give you an example, in response to a congressman who was questioning him, he said something about 'abjure.' It's the first time I ever heard that word. And since it appeared that was also true for some House members, Barr smirked and said 'OK, forget the 'abjure.'"

"We have to talk about this? I'm not in Maine to . . ."

"It came up when he was pressed about his saying, the last time he testified, that the FBI was 'spying' on Trump's campaign and when he was called out about it he said, and I'm quoting. I wrote it down so you couldn't wiggle off the hook."

"What does his calling what the FBI was doing in its routine work, investigating possible criminal activity by some of Trump's people, rather than calling it 'investigating' them he used a loaded up term--'spying'-- to slander their efforts and make what's going on sound conspiratorial? From the Deep State?"

In spite of myself I was all riled up.

Ignoring me, Jack said, "Let me read a snippet about this from, I think, your New York Times: "Barr called 'spying' a 'good English word' and expressed no regrets for previously testifying that President Trump's campaign was spied on." Jack added, still quoting, 'I'm not going to abjure use of the word 'spying.'"

"You're exhausting me, Jack. Why do we have to talk about this. You put this at the top of your list? With all that there is to talk about . . . ?" Not that I wanted to talk with him about any of it.

"Like Clinton's, Bill Clinton's famous 'It depends on what the meaning of the word is is.'"

"I can't believe with everything that's happening this is what's on your mind. Top of your list." 

I realized Jack, cleverly, to snare my attention, was trying to divert me into a deep discussion, of all things, about Barr's syntax. Which is largely overblown and pseudo-intellectual. It's almost as if Barr wants to say that though I may be the illiterate Trump's mouthpiece, notice by my choice of words, mainly Latinate, and sentence structure, compound sentences, I'm not one of them. I operate on a higher plane.

I thought Jack was doing a version of the same thing. By plucking "abjure" from Barr's hours of testimony he was attempting to say something about himself. That he, Jack, operated on that high plane as well.

"I've got to go," I said. "But do me a favor."

"Anything."

Let's agree to talk about the Red Sox. At least until I'm settled in."

"As long as you don't ask me to abjure them as they struggle to get started this spring."

"Ugh."

"Or we could always talk about Benghazi. That's on my list too."

I hung up.