Trump Walking A Thin Red Line
Although it was comic relief to watch President Trump and his White House entourage do the scimitar hokey pokey with their new Arab friends in Saudi Arabia last week, I don’t think the distraction will sidetrack the special council probe into his collusion allegations with the Russian government.
Trump is a master of enduring and deflecting a news cycle, but this one’s not going away, and it shouldn’t.
But nice try.
At the same time the President was dancing away the evening in Riyadh, and as Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, looked especially uncomfortable in his business suit with scimitars rattling over his head during the line dance, the White House was preparing for the possibility of impeachment proceedings.
Obviously, no one considered that the traditional dance of the swords could have ended in their beheadings. Maybe that’s why Tillerson looked so uneasy. Well, either here or there, Rex, take your pick.
Trump reciprocated by teaching the Saudis the Potomac Two-Step and lecturing them about terrorism and the benefits of good and evil ...make that good and oil.
Notwithstanding the reverie in Riyadh, the President appears to be crazy for the Russians also, who are probably playing him as well.
It’s easy to get caught up in the hate delirium in which both President Donald Trump and, we, The American People, find ourselves. We love to hate him. The President is walking a thin, treasonous line between impeachment and becoming a landmark president for change in America and doing the things he said he’d do.
He’s crawling across cut glass to make deals.
For Donald Trump, in between impeachment and ultimate glory are sex scandals, allegations of fraud, lying, in-your-face arrogance, petulance, xenophobia, misogyny, collusion, obstruction of justice ...you know, the things most all the other politicians and their corporate counterparts do. But The Donald is special. He’s a businessman turned politician, and he’s in overdrive while the rest are asleep at the wheel.
Trump goes for he jugular, give him credit for that. The others go for the back.
He is, unfortunately, however, the culmination of the worst possible characteristics for a man. His physical presentation is not only unappealing, it’s comically demonic. His attitude of arrogance and never being wrong sets him aside as an tempestuous narcissist. He’s not the benevolent U.S. President posed priestlike with children sitting on his lap. He looks and acts like he’d be more comfortable with Russian prostitutes rectorially sitting on his lap. No vicar, he.
He’s orange ...and that hair!
His portrait looks funny as the 45th President at the end of the current presidential hall of fame. Almost like a cartoonish afterthought.
But Trump still has a following and many of his observations and ideas are sound. He may have nothing but good intentions in befriending the Russians. He may be crazy like fox. He says he wants to make America great again and I believe he believes he does ...but that is all coming into serious question.
He is in an unfortunate situation, and he’s got no one to blame but himself.
All these things considered, that’s why America elected Donald Trump. In hopes that this brawler would drain the swamp of listless treadmill politicians moving them out of their sloggy comfort zones and indeed make America great again.
However, the news lately is like an out-of-body experience. Is this all really happening? It’s like we’re living in an alternate world of fats and reality.
Are the Russians “playing” us with Trump as president? Is he playing into their scheme? What do they have on him? How much influence did Russia actually have over the election? When Trump won, Russian media broadcast celebrations in bars all over Moscow like their team just won the Super Bowl.
Trump is breaking all the rules and he’s breaking tradition. I’m okay with that. Many of the rules are counterproductive and some of the traditions need to be broken to start new ones and to get things moving. We elected him because we were bored and disgusted with the dysfunction in Washington. Now, we hate Trump because we’re disgusted with his petulance.
The guy can’t cop a break.
If we don’t like how Trump is doing his job, it’s too bad, we’re stuck with him for at least the next four years. If all the allegations and investigations prove positive, then our constitutional recourse is to fire him ..impeach him.
Making Mike Pence president.
But let’s take a close look at why we hate Donald Trump. One case in point: Nepotism. Jared Kushner, Ivanks’s husband and Trumps son-in law, last week negotiated and finalized a $110B arms deal with the Saudis. Many, including me, have criticized this inexperienced, thirty-something playing such a key role in these negotiations in favor of a more senior cabinet member or White House official. The explanation is simply that the Saudis prefer to do business with “family.” Being the son-in-law of President Trump greased the skids for the deal. It’s a trust factor. So, what’s wrong with that? The kid got it done.
Are the Saudis dictating how America does business? What’s the harm if the business gets done? Trump is doing what he said he’d do.
It remains to be seen what will transpire regarding the Russian collusion investigation. Although former FBI Chief Robert Muller has been appointed special council and lauded as a no-nonsense investigator, I am expecting another Warren Report scenario.
These interesting times promise to get even more interesting in this world political game of chess as Donald Trump walks that thin red line.
And to quote a line from ‘The Hunt for Red October’, “This business will get out of control. It will get out of control and we’ll be lucky to live through it.”
John Kushma is a communication consultant and lives in Logan, Utah.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-george-kushma-379a5762
http://newsbout.com/a/John+Kushma
