But the Vatican Has Walls

The C Team:  Trump opened the year with one of his most bizarre cabinet meetings, and given how strange the others have been that’s saying a lot.  To set the tone, he had someone from the White House prop department place a large “Game of Thrones” style poster, one that featured a large picture of a formidable Trump and the words “Sanctions Are Coming” in the center as his board room table centerpiece. What’s next, blood and beheadings? Never all that impressive to begin with, the cabinet is now dominated by a group of C players mostly former corporate lobbyists many of whom remain unconfirmed by the Senate.  His most unqualified “acting” member,  Attorney General for a minute Matt Whitaker, started the obligatory round of Trump praise by obsequiously lauding Trump’s great sacrifice, his decision to stay in DC over the Christmas holiday, calling it a demonstration of his “dedication to delivering,” whatever that means.  Things went south from there. After all the cabinet players kowtowed in their own fashion, Trump launched into a rambling, off the wall and startling ignorant soliloquy in which he called Syria a worthless land of “sand and death” and knocked the Syrian Kurds, our regional allies, for selling some oil to Iran, a way of saying that if they end up slaughtered once US forces depart it will be because they deserve it.  As to the departure of US troops, he now says that the full withdrawal will take up to 120 days because, despite his earlier tweet that they would be coming home pronto, he now appears to understand that the process of troop withdrawal is one of those complicated things.  Trump then moved on to Afghanistan, he began by disparaging all US Generals, beginning with former Defense Secretary Mattis, who he now claims that he fired, adding that had he not suffered from those debilitating bone spurs he could have been a general, a really good one.  He then gave a disjointed overview of Afghanistan’s history, a version dominated by what appeared to be Russian talking points provided by Putin on one or more of their late night phone conversations during his long lonely Christmas break at the White House. He endorsed the Soviet Union’s 1979 invasion, the one that was widely condemned by the international community and then President Carter who boycotted the 1980 summer Olympics held in the Soviet Union over the invasion, calling it an appropriate response to then non-existent Afghan terrorism, missing that the Soviets had actually invaded to prop up their handpicked puppet regime.  He went on to blame the break up of the Soviet Union solely on the financial woes caused by that invasion, leaving the distinct impression that he, like his history tutor Putin, believes that it would be completely acceptable for Russia to force all of those former republics back into a greater Russia, led by Putin of course. He also questioned why Pakistan wasn’t more involved in Afghanistan, missing that they actually are involved, they provide aid to our Taliban enemies.  Moving on to his favorite topic, the wall, he pushed back at any suggestions that it was immoral by pointing to the wall around the Vatican while continuing to claim that it was essential for border security.  He also took full credit for lower oil prices claiming that they were down not because of market forces but because of calls he had made to his friends in oil producing countries, because he’s Trump and when he speaks everyone listens.  Trump also commented on Mitt Romney’s harsh Washington Post Op-Ed, suffice it to say that he wasn’t all that happy about Mitt’s criticism, finding it particularly surprising because he had endorsed him in his Senate run, adding that if Romney had really wanted to be president he would have tried harder when he ran against Obama. That said, Trump didn’t completely trash Romney, possibly because he knows that further alienating him could turn into a bigly problem if impeachment proceedings ever lead to a Senate hearing where every Republican vote will really, really matter. However, the head of the Republican National Committee, Ronna McDaniel, who last year dropped her Romney middle name, did pommel her uncle, she tweeted “POTUS is attacked and obstructed by the MSM media and Democrats 24/7. For an incoming Republican freshman senator to attack @realDonaldTrump as their first act feeds into what the Democrats and media want and is disappointing and unproductive.”  Ouch.

Trump Shutdown:  Try as he might, and he is trying very hard, Trump is having a hard time distancing himself from his very public promise that he would happily assume full responsibility for the government shutdown.  Yesterday’s White House meeting with Republican and Democratic leadership went about as well as expected.  No one conceded anything, in fact Trump backed off VP Pence’s earlier suggestion that the two sides just split the difference and agree on a $2.6 billion “security” funding package.  At least publicly, Trump continues to say that he doesn’t care how long the government remains shut, he’s not budging until he gets his wall money. On the side he reportedly told Chuck Schumer that conceding anything would make him look foolish, is it worth telling him that ship sailed long ago? For their part Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer don’t appear ready to compromise, for them at this point it’s as much about the money and the principle of funding a pointless wall as it is about a concern that Trump can’t be trusted to stand by anything he agrees to, a concern that is also shared by Senate Majority Leader McConnell who doesn’t want to get burned again when the mercurial Trump changes his mind after a last minute call or cable rant from Rush Limbaugh or Anne Coulter.  The legislative crowd is scheduled to meet again on Friday because Trump, who tried his “but the Vatican has walls argument” in an unsuccessful effort to appeal to Nancy’s Catholic faith, believes that Pelosi will be more “cooperative” once she is formally voted in as Speaker.  Apparently he doesn’t know her very well.  

2020:  Another day, another Democratic presidential candidate.  Yesterday Washington State Governor Jay Inslee joined Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren by announcing that he plans to run, as a single issue candidate focused on climate change.  Though he’s not as well known as many of the other expected candidates, his name has been bandied around for a while.  The Atlantic reports that for now, Inslee seems to be counting on being able to stand out on his established record, a former Congressman he’s been Governor since 2012, as well as his preparation for future battles with Trump where he had been testing out zingers like “I wish nothing but the best for Donald Trump, including having the top bunk.”