Stella at 5!
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I happen to have met Perle many many years ago and is a name out of the past. I was not aware he was still alive. (See 1 below.)
Republicans have seldom proven they are capable of circling the wagon and being effective in returning fire because, unlike Democrats who dig their heels in and are gutter fighters, Republicans, aka Romney, are incapable of fighting back. It is not part of their DNA. They are too patrician and become easily frightened.
Meanwhile,,McCaine has a debt to repay, because of Trump's derogatory comments during the campaign, and he could choose to lead the party. as many vulnerable members, frightened at the prospect of losing their seats, seek to distance themselves from the president. McCaine also lost a poorly run campaign and that remains a lingering blight on his record and, no doubt, would like to erase by helping the party avoid another defeat.
As for Trump, he may be left alone to take on the mass media and those in the 'loyal'opposition party bent on destroying his presidency so they can recapture the reins of government in order to reinstate/protect/defend Obamacare, and all the other failed policies of Obama's eight years. They will continue doing so through the constant drip, drip of leaks, innuendos and fake news. Those so engaged will often wrap themselves in the patriotic blanket of protecting the government and nation from obstruction of justice, cover-ups etc. Politics is a very dirty business and draws a lot of sheep and jackals whose lust for power cause them to do slimy things. Sens. Schumer, Pelosi, Warren and Rep., Waters, Schiff and Cummings lead the pack on the Democrat side and their joined at the hip lackeys, in the mass media, also have powerful tools available because they are in the business of entertaining and making money at all cost and keeping the pot stirred.
Finally, we have the un-presidential manner in which Trump crudely fired Comey .Hell hath no fury greater than the bruised ego of an FBI Director publicly embarrassed nor his tools to get even.
Since nothing factual, that we know about, has surfaced the hue and cry for impeachment is more hysterical than rational. Therefore, Americans should let the facts eventually come to the fore and , I have not doubt, they will. When that happens, I suspect, a second layer of distrust will then become the next political game so the pot can continue to be stirred so the opposition can keep us roiled in order for them to re-capture power.
Of course there is always the unlikely possibility, that serious laws were broken and Trump has acted in an impeachable manner.Time will tell. Stay tuned.
All this simply proves , once again, Kelly and Pogo were right - The Enemy is Us. (See 1a and 1b below.)
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Dick
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1) Richard Perle: WashPost's Trump Story on Russia 'Outrageously Overblown'
The Washington Post report on President Donald Trump disclosing classified information to Russian officials last week is "outrageously overblown" and proves that the media is "out to destroy this presidency," former Pentagon official Richard Perle told Newsmax TV on Tuesday.
"There was no indication in the article — and this is now confirmed by the national security adviser that any classified information that was not either known or obvious was revealed in that conversation," Perle told Newsmax TV's Steve Malzberg.
"This seems to me another example of parts of the mainstream press were clearly unambiguously out to destroy this presidency."
Perle, 75, served as assistant secretary of defense and chairman on the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board. He worked under former Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.
He currently is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington.
"They will make mountains out of molehills — and they'll create molehills out of nothing," Perle told Malzberg in slamming the media.
"I was not at all concerned about that and I spent 50 years consuming and working on highly classified information.
"I don't think any significant information has been compromised."
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1)GOP fears Trump will take the Republican Party down with him
Republicans in Congress fear President Trump could torpedo their majorities if he doesn't save his White House from constant crisis and pivot to the issues voters elected him to deal with.
Trump has been besieged by his handling of the firing of James Comey, reports he had previously pressured the FBI director to drop the investigation of national security adviser Mike Flynn, and the discovery that he shared classified information with Russian officialsin an Oval Office meeting.
Republicans have grown accustomed to Trump's tumult, tending to downplay it because the president has weathered past challenges that might have sunk conventional politicians. But this is different, lawmakers and GOP strategists conceded Tuesday, in interviews with the Washington Examiner.
"You have this White House that is lurching from crisis to crisis, the image is of disarray – they can't get their hands around the basic day-to-day agenda, and define the progress they have made" Republican pollster David Winston said. "One of the things that the president has is the bully pulpit; the bully pulpit lets you drive the agenda and these crises haven't let the White House effectively get there."
"This is concerning and alarming," Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pa., said flatly. "We're going to have to confront these issues as a Congress."
Republicans see red flags because foreign policy and national security are at the center of the crises that have engulfed Trump over the past seven days.
Concerns about Trump's fitness to serve as commander-in-chief has been a weak spot with independents and GOP voters outside of his loyal base. These voters form the backbone of the coalition that elected the president and Republican majorities in the House and Senate in November.
They had long ago resigned themselves to the constant tweeting and other uncomfortable aspects of Trump's unusual style.
That could cost Senate Republicans an opportunity to profit from a favorable map and pick up seats. House Republicans, who are protecting a 24-seat majority and defending 23 seats that Hillary Clinton won in November, could find themselves in even worse shape.
"The last couple weeks have left a mark," a GOP consultant said, requesting anonymity in order to speak candidly. "The risks of going down the present path include diminished enthusiasm in the base, low fundraising and candidate recruitment problems in down ballot races."
If Republicans on Capitol Hill begin to fear that outcome, they'll abandon Trump, depriving him, and themselves, of the legislative wins they need to give soft Republicans and independents a reason to show up to vote next year — and vote GOP.
Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas said that Republicans are going to have to fight through White House "distractions" and deliver a legislative agenda. The former chairman of the Senate Republican campaign arm, the NRSC, acknowledged the difficulty Trump is creating for his party.
"It's challenging; it's challenging," he said. "We need to be productive."
Trump's job approval in the RealClearPolitics average stood at 40.7 percent, dangerous territory for House and Senate Republicans if the president can't bring his chaotic White House under control.
Democrats hold a 46.2 percent to 39.5 percent lead over Republicans in the generic congressional ballot. Combined with Trump's crisis-a-minute leadership, numbers like these will encourage liberal fundraising and Democratic recruiting, and could leave Republicans dispirited.
An adviser to a Republican being recruited for a marquee congressional race in 2018 said the president's behavior was concerning. "I'd be a fool if I said it wasn't causing us at least a little heartburn," this individual said. "I mean, seriously, when is this shit going to stop?"
A Republican lobbyist who is actively raising money for the party said the complaints have been piling up from donors. They don't think that the problem is media persecution or Democratic obstruction, they think the problem is the president.
"People are feeling – it's disgust, it's shame, it's you name it, all of the above," the lobbyist said. Asked for examples of the complaints fielded, the lobbyist added: "When is this going to end? How can we recover? These are clowns."
1a) McCain: Trump scandals have reached 'Watergate size and scale'
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., on Tuesday evening said allegations against President Trump's administration have reached a "Watergate size and scale."
McCain, who has not been an ardent supporter of Trump, made the comment at an International Republican Institute panel in Washington, D.C., according to reporters who attended.
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