Over the last week, we have heard that White House Counsel Don McGhan cooperated fully, early and often, over 30 hours of interviews with the Mueller investigation. This would be unprecedented, but for the fact that the White House Counsel’s office ceases to owe Donald Trump the person any loyalty or privilege the moment Donald J. Trump the person attempts to implicate the White House Counsel in an ongoing crime. Yes, we hear that Trump authorized McGhan to speak to Mueller, and that it was a “mistake.” I maintain that McGhan had a duty to speak to the Special Counsel’s office the moment that Trump asked him to fire Rosenstein. Regardless, Mueller knows everything McGhan knows, which is damn near everything.
We also know that Trump is panicking at a level unseen until now, forcing Trump to stumble into one of his worst errors yet, revoking Brennan’s clearance. The act galvanized many within the political intelligence community, including the deeply respected Admiral William McRaven, the man who led the raid on Osama bin Laden, the man who when he retired from the military didn’t go make millions on the DC circuit but went and led the University of Texas system.. McRaven stated he’d consider it “an honor” if Trump revoked his security clearance so that he could join the ranks of others that have spoken out against his presidency.
Finally, who else but Rudy Giuliani could end such a week? Using dark arts, Rudy went on Meet the Press to tell Chuck Todd that truth isn’t actually truth, causing Todd to immediately drink a quarter of a bottle of Grey Goose setting just off to his left and pounded his forehead into the desk, muttering about “being born forty years too late! I coulda’ been Cronkite, goddamn it!”
I might have made just a portion of that summary up. A very small portion.
It is different this week.
No, there has been no indictment released concerning Americans charged with conspiracy. No, we don’t have a new witness, nor even new evidence, but it does not matter. Something changed over the course of the last week, something arising out of that mish-mash listed above, and at least twenty wholly over the top tweets, indicative of an increasingly desperate and touchy president. Here, just a taste:
No Collusion and No Obstruction, except by Crooked Hillary and the Democrats. All of the resignations and corruption, yet heavily conflicted Bob Mueller refuses to even look in that direction. What about the Brennan, Comey, McCabe, Strzok lies to Congress, or Crooked’s Emails!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 19, 2018
Certainly John Meacham has noticed (not much gets by John Meacham):
“We’re through the looking glass,” Meacham said. “Giuliani isn’t doing anything that he doesn’t think Trump wants him to do. You can hear Donald Trump saying it.”
I agree. Do go on.
“Where you have the old image of Nixon talking to the portraits, I see Trump talking to mirrors and Rudy,” Meacham said. “You know, he’s just wandering around talking to himself and creating this.”
Talking to mirrors? I’d want to speak with someone more attractive, but to each his own. I think the idea is solid. Certainly Trump doesn’t wish to speak to anyone with any real authority or self-confidence, he wants “Yes-men” – “loyal” to the end.
If you find yourself thinking that Trump is acting even less stable than he had in the past – though now we’re sort of splitting atoms here, I recognize, again – that, too, has been noticed and agreed upon.
Anyone who has known Trump for years, and doesn’t have a stake in his political career or the GOP, says the same. He is unwell and has been getting progressively worse over the past 18 months. https://t.co/k1l3zAgwco
— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) August 19, 2018
Stress will aggravate any injury, especially one that arose in the mind to begin with.
But, I sense hope this week, precisely because of all that happened last week, and because everyone senses that Mueller is due, any day now, and the delivery will be swift and undeniable, except for the “truth isn’t truth” crowd. There’s no hope for them, but luckily they’ve never made up more than at absolute most, 40% of the nation.
The mid-terms will be where this nation makes a determination as to which direction it wishes to go, and I sense optimism on that front.
One cautionary word however. All it takes is knowledge and acceptance that one vote, somewhere, someplace, for someone, was changed, and faith in our entire democratic system comes crashing in upon itself. That is the bigger danger hanging over this nation. Russia intended to destroy our faith in democracy itself. Trump has gone a looonggg way toward that goal. But, the “head shot” to American democracy would be a clinical/legal demonstration that actual elections can be manipulated from the outside – we’re talking vote tallies unrelated to votes cast. It is our biggest vulnerability as a nation right now.
Having said that, this week is different. We can feel it. It’s not just the breath of fall air that came through even the deep south over the weekend. It is more. I am not sure exactly all it entails, I am sure it won’t be long before we start to find out.
Twitter, follow along. The puppy has had a set-back. Sky is back in the hospital, his paw deeply infected. He needs IV anti-biotics and steroids. For those of you behind in your reading, he got bit by a water moccasin. Poor guy. Poor pocket book. Please have all your friends sign up for our newsletter Politizoom.com and help save a puppy’s life. I’m only half kidding. @MiciakZoom, @Politizoom.
