Observations regarding the news of the weekend.
BUMBLING BECKEL FIRED AT LAST – In my May 16, 2017 post, “Media’s embarrassing moments,“ I expressed my displeasure with Fox’s rehiring of Bob Beckel as one of the liberal hosts of The Five. Today, I am happy to report that Beckel has been fired for the second time by Fox. Reportedly, he made an insensitive remark to a black computer technician at Fox.
IN YESTERDAY’S POST, I wrote of my disappointment in Republicans who weren’t defending President Trump. The New York Times, leading the media’s effort to sink the Trump presidency, had a different thought – “When will Republicans in Congress decide that enough is enough?”
AND THE MEDIA CONTINUES TO PILE ON – “(Trump’s presidency) is on the verge of collapse,” wrote David Graham in The Atlantic.com. … To put it more simply, “(the president is) flat-out off his rocker,” said Andrew Sullivan of NYMag.com. … Anne Applebaum of the WashingtonPost.com wrote of “the president’s willful ignorance, impulsiveness, and inexperience.” … ”I agree that Trump is unfit for the presidency,” wrote Charles Cooke in the NationalReview.com.
PUTTING IN HIS TWO CENTS WORTH, Tennessee Republican Sen. Bob Corker commented, “(The White House is) in a downward spiral right now.”
ON THE POSITIVE SIDE – Ted Galen Carpenter of TheAmericanConservative.com said, “Trump has done nothing wrong.” … “This doesn’t look like collusion with the Russians,” said Eli Lake in Bloomberg.com … “Oh, please – this isn’t the Saturday Night Massacre,” wrote Hugh Hewitt of Michael Flynn’s firing in The Washington Post.
ECHOING MY CONCERNS about special counsel Robert Mueller conducting an investigation that includes the actions of his close friend, James Comey, was Wall Street Journal Columnist Kimberly A. Strassel.
She writes that Mueller “is as skilled and upright as they come,” and suggests that in a word-association game, words like, “integrity, honor, respect, order, discipline, honesty and fairness,” would certainly come to mind.
“(Mueller is) a longtime colleague of none other than James Comey,” she writes as she notes that Mueller biographer Garrett M. Graff wrote in Politico this week that “Mr. Comey treated Mueller as a close friend and almost mentor.” She adds that “The two men have worked together, socialized together and once even threatened to resign together.
Strassel asks how objective can even the uptight Mr. Mueller be about the conduct of an old colleague? “How likely is Mr. Mueller to evaluate objectively the president who unceremoniously fired that associate and friend?” And how about his other friends in the bureau who may have been guilty of “unauthorized (and potentially felonious) leaks?” Strassel asks.
Personally, I choose to associate Mueller with the words of the aforementioned word-association game. I hope my gut isn’t wrong.
SOMETHING TO PONDER – The FBI, our nation’s premiere crime investigative agency, has been working on the possible collusion of the Trump campaign and Russia for 10 months. TEN MONTHS! Time to call in the sheriff of Maybury.
SORRY JOE – I know you’ve been out of The Swamp for a while, but you are an “establishment” politician, and not the right choice to replace James Comey as FBI director. When your close friend, Sen. John McCain, jumps to support you, I get concerned. I believe we need someone with a law enforcement background, not a Joe Lieberman style pol.
