The last lines of defense against Trump

The Washington Compost ^ | December 22 at 3:25 PM | Editorial Board

[E. Pluribus Unum]

MANY PEOPLE who viewed Donald Trump as unprepared and temperamentally ill-suited to be president initially reassured themselves that a sober-minded Republican majority in Congress would restrain him. Speaker Paul D. Ryan’s (R-Wis.) pitiable farewell this week spotlighted the emptiness of those hopes. Mr. Ryan allowed the president and his allies to corrupt the House Intelligence Committee and treat federal law enforcement as an enemy. Like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and most other ostensible GOP leaders, Mr. Ryan abetted the president as he sought, fruitlessly, to use fear and bigotry to preserve the House Republican majority in the 2018 elections. Fittingly, Mr. Ryan’s final act this week was to indulge the president’s capricious decision to shut down the government rather than accept a budget compromise.

The second line of defense was going to be the “grown-ups” in the administration: Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, national security adviser H.R. McMaster, economic adviser Gary Cohn, U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, intelligence chief Daniel Coats. These are people who understand the value of alliances, the risks of trade wars, the even more unspeakable risks of real wars. Over the past two years, they did at times restrain the president’s worst impulses — in ways we know and likely in ways we have yet to learn.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Extracted version:

https://outline.com/tfqLVE

[old curmudgeon]

I guess Brennen wrote the compost story.

[shelterguy]

These are people who understand the value of alliances, the risks of trade wars,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They might understand the risks of trade wars but they never fought back so they know nothing about the rewards of a trade war.

[bert]

The trade war is but intense competition

Hype is believed to sell papers

[hal ogen]

It is a crime against nature that even one sickly, dieing sapling is murdered in order to make paper upon which to print the Washington pest.

[falcon99]

How do these people on the editorial board look at themselves in the mirror each day and not just break out laughing at themselves and their complete lack of touch with reality.

[Dr. Pritchett]

Drain the swamp!! Drain it now!

[Eddie01]

A lot of editorial board collusion this week.

Editorial Board = Anonymous

[SanchoP]

Good intentions will always be pleaded for every assumption of authority. It is hardly too strong to say that the Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters.

-- Daniel Webster

[alloysteel]

Na-na-na-na, hey-hey-hey, good-bye....

Step lively, now. That door swings shut with a great deal of force.

[central_va]

Trade war? It’s not war if only one side fights it. China’s trade policy should be called a trade conquest.

[kanawa]

Saved for sharing

[SanchoP]

I thought it was a perfect description of the coup now being attempted in DC.

[sauropod]

What a bunch of bovine used food.

[Gay State Conservative]

[Vendome]

I’ve figured out why the Aliens wont talk to us...

[867V309]

Good intentions will always be pleaded for every assumption of authority.

exactly.

[central_va]

Where's the barf alert?

[central_va]

Trump’s re-election is going to kill these people! LOVE IT!

[mrsmith]

“Get those peasants shoveling coal, and send the rest up to move these chairs!”

NYTimes to captain of the Titanic.