Photo by Gage Skidmore/CC By-SA2.0
I now understand why watching dog and cat videos online has become so popular. These wonderful critters simply make us feel a little better no matter what, and as a country we sure need something to smile about.
Four months of Donald Trump's time in office have left us reeling. The intensity of the daily dose of stress emanating from the White House is taking a toll greater than I believe most anyone expected. He talks the talk and walks the walk of a man who, as I noted months ago, is out of his league. The stakes were high when we elected a man with no governing experience as President. They have now reached close to a number 9.0 on the Richter Scale.
Diplomacy is not conducted like a business. Government is not just about brokering deals. The nuance so badly needed in a president is something that comes with experience and knowledge, neither of which our President has shown interest in accumulating.
Our allies are questioning the future sharing of intelligence with the United States after Trump's unfathomable breech of sharing classified information during his White House meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ambassador Sergei Kislyak. One day after firing FBI Director James Comey, Putin apparently called Trump asking for the meeting, and now appears emboldened by the move. President Trump is reeling from its fallout.
Russia and Trump. This is the relationship that stands out above all else in the Trump administration, and it will become its historic marker. No matter what Russia is accused of doing to challenge our democracy, the president continues to view them as an ally and treat them as a partner. They have become the diversion extraordinaire.
None of this makes us feel good or tended to. The polls that Trump used to love to tout are blasting out numbers bound to haunt him. The latest poll released by Public Policy Polling shows nearly half (48%) of Americans now say they support impeachment proceedings for the president. That in itself is astounding but not unexpected.
We're reaching a limit as to how much we can take. President Trump has become a walking crisis machine, and our country deserves better. We have been floundering in the midst of too many days of crisis and too few days of governance under his so-called leadership.
The appointment of Robert Mueller, a former FBI Director under Presidents George Bush and Barack Obama, as special counsel sets the underlying tone going forward. With investigations into the alleged involvements by Russia in the 2016 election and Trump's campaign as well as the potential of presidential obstruction of justice, the Trump White House has been compromised. His presidency has reached a critical turning point, and we can't even be sure that he recognizes it. The incompetence level continues to shock.
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