An Acquittal Is Imminent

Time is running out for House Managers in their quest to impeach Donald Trump and undo the 2016 presidential election. They tried everything to discredit and embarrass the president, who steadfastly deflected criticism on social media and with noteworthy success regarding the economy, trade and diplomacy. You may not appreciate the man’s style, but he has gotten many things done in recent months.

You can always sense when the opposition is getting frustrated. The whining and exasperation grows, the facts become more distorted, and they begin to suggest that 60 million people who voted for Trump are idiots. It’s never the shortcomings of the opposition’s arguments; it’s always someone else’s inability to grasp the facts.

The White House counsels have been eating Schiff’s and Nadler’s lunch for several days. The House Managers looked like rank amateurs. Their version of the truth has been overwhelmed by their reliance on innuendo, second hand gossip and hyperbole.

Professor Dershowitz has many people thinking that Trump’s behavior, although brash, dangerous and un-statesmanlike, was not impeachable. Frankly, it was sad to see Schiff and Nadler go head to head with Dershowitz. The latter has been teaching and researching constitutional law for 50 years. His opinions are significant, even if they are controversial. The congressmen were out of their league.

But it didn’t stop there. The White House counsels provided devastating testimony that clearly indicates that Trump should not be impeached. They provided, what else, facts and quotes from Democratic witnesses. The White House gang bludgeoned the Dems with irrefutable truth. Law students will be studying their arguments and technique for years to come.

But the real kicker is that there is no proof that Trump traded missiles for an investigation of the corrupt Biden family, or that keeping presidential conversations confidential for security reasons is a crime.

Give it up Schumer. You lost big time. The presidential election is a lock for Trump. You should spend your time trying to minimize losses in Congress for the next nine months.

White House Counsel Bludgeons House Managers

Time is running out for House Managers in their quest to impeach Donald Trump and undo the 2016 Election. They have tried everything to discredit and embarrass the president, who has steadfastly deflected his opponents on social media and with noteworthy success dealing with the economy, trade and diplomacy. You may not like Trump’s style, but he has gotten many things done in recent months.

You can always tell when the opposition is getting frustrated. The whining and exasperation grows, their facts become more muddled and they ask questions like, “how can 65 million Americans be so stupid and support Trump.” It’s never the shortcomings of the opposition; failure is always someone else’s fault or an inability to grasp the “facts.”

The White House counsels have been eating Schiff’s and Nadler’s lunch, especially during the questioning on Wednesday. The House Managers looked like first year law students and rank amateurs. Their grasp of facts, not innuendo, second hand gossip and hyperbole, was seriously deficient.

Professor Dershowitz has many people thinking that Trump’s behavior, although brash, dangerous, un-statesmanlike and insulting, was in no way impeachable. All of the conversations the president had regarding Ukraine might have been disturbing, but not enough so for him to be convicted and ousted from office.

Frankly, it was sad and pathetic to see Schiff and Nadler go head to head with Dershwitz. The latter has been teaching law for 50 years. The congressmen were way out of their league.

But it didn’t stop there. The White House counsel provided devastating testimony that clearly indicates that Trump should not be impeached and convicted by providing, what else, facts and quotes from House witnesses. The White House guys and gal bludgeoned the Dems with irrefutable truth. Law students will be studying their arguments for years to come.

But the real kicker is that there is no proof that Trump traded missiles for investigation of the corrupt Biden family, and keeping presidential conversations for security reasons is not a crime.

Give it up Schumer. You lost big time. The presidential election is a lock for Trump. You should spend your time trying to minimize losses in Congress for the next nine months.

 

End The Sh– Storm In The Senate Now

Americans have power-hungry Democrats to thank for creating such an unproductive tempest and constitutional confrontation. Our government is in crisis because of the venom directed at our president. Love him or not, he was duly elected and deserves to be treated with respect and given the chance to defend himself. He should be protected by the rule of law.

In the meantime, our government is in total paralysis as the bureaucrats and Trump-haters parse every action and every word uttered by the president since he took office three plus years ago. The team defending Trump is going to destroy the incompetent and lying band of misfits that presented a weak impeachment of Trump.

It’s now obvious that Pelosi didn’t follow the rules associated with impeachment. She is not the source of authority in the House and cannot unilaterally order her colleagues to begin proceedings. She neglected to obtain approval of the entire House to move forward with actions by its committees. It’s one person, one vote in the House.

The Trump team is eviscerating everything that the House incompetents have bored us with for 24 hours last week. A basis of impeachment is not apparent. There was no crime and all accusations are hearsay. None of the people who testified against Trump actually heard incriminating words. It was second, third and fourth hand information. The State Department officials are seemingly a bunch of gossiping biddies hanging around the water cooler and looking for ways to make a splash and get on TV.

But in the end, Trump authorized and delivered the now infamous Javelin anti-tank missiles to Ukraine. In fact, everyone concurs that Trump has done more to protect Ukraine from Russia than any other president.

Trump invited the Ukraine president to the US on three separate occasions, and they met without any preconditions or quid pro quos.

There has been no investigation of Burisma or the Bidens after all that has taken place. This is likely to change very soon as the corruption affiliated with the former vice president and his son is too overwhelming to ignore.

Trump has been fighting corruption around the world since he took office. It was a campaign promise to do so. He cancelled support to several countries at the same time that Ukraine was being evaluated for corrupt activities.

The president of the US is the top diplomatic officer. He has the constitutional authority to set policies, hire and fire diplomats and to take actions against other countries. A House that disagrees with his policies cannot impeach him.

The president has the right to keep conversations with his cabinet, staff, advisors and other foreign leaders confidential. This right enables the president to be effective as he navigates through sensitive discussions, and considers different options. Executive privilege has proven to be invaluable throughout American history and applied by every modern day president. Therefore the president is legally able to censor any individual that attempts to reveal national security sensitive information, including John Bolton.

The president’s attorneys have taken the opportunity to put into perspective the power of impeachment. It’s a proceeding that should be used sparingly because it can undo the election of a president. All other business of Congress ceases until impeachment is complete.

One of the fears of the founding fathers was that an unbridled opposition House of Representatives would impeach and turn the government head over heels for matters that should be decided with negotiation and/or by the courts.

The current impeachment is the third such action in the last 45 years. The only other presidential impeachment took place a hundred years earlier. The worst fears of the founding fathers have taken place. Impeachment is now too ubiquitous.

The current accusations by the House are based upon supposition, second hand knowledge and gossip. The House presumes too much and knows too little. Impeachment is supposed to be the last resort for crimes by the leader of our country. Serious crimes like treason are the real focus of this type of justice.

And finally, since when is someone (like the president) guilty until proven innocent. Why do we allow story mongers among the press to create sh—storms based upon innuendo and supposition? Where is the honor and devotion to sacrosanct journalistic tenets?

The impeachment and the trial should be dispensed with immediately. Trump cannot be convicted of anything. We need our lawmakers to do the business of the people, not to amuse misinformed zealots in the House who collect pens.

The Senate Will Not Convict Trump

Despite the avalanche of information and disinformation regarding the impeachment and trial of Donald Trump, there are only a few relatively simple issues that dominate the proceedings.

The venom that Democrats sport towards the president is driving them to conduct a campaign that cannot be successful. They are trying with all their might to convince the American people (and their Republican colleagues) to disparage the man who is our elected president. In essence they are saying that Trump is a “bad person” who has no right to be president, and this recognition warrants impeachment, and conviction in the Senate.

Liberals control the House and were able to have their moment when all decisions favored the impeachment effort. The proceedings were rigged against Trump because the investigative committees were led and controlled by some of the most partisan lawmakers in Washington.

The moment cannot be extended for two specific reasons. One is that the Senate is controlled by the opposition and will not do anything to endanger the president’s position. Republicans are not going to willingly recruit more witnesses (in fact they will block these efforts) with their 53-47 majority. Democrats had their time and should expect no cooperation from Trump loyalists.

The other major fact is that the indictments of Trump are bogus. It’s going to be impossible to overcome the stark reality that the president has the constitutional right to make foreign policy decisions. If he believes any American is acting corruptly, the president can legitimately conduct an investigation. So Trump was well within his authority to have Ukraine look into the fishy activities of the son of then Vice President Joe Biden. If Trump benefits politically from the action, so be it. Therefore the first impeachment article of self-dealing by the president is moot.

An undeniable and firmly established presidential privilege is that of executive privilege. The basis of the second impeachment article revolves around executive privilege. The law allows the president great latitude to keep certain information discussed with his staff and other world leaders confidential. This privilege greatly empowers the president who would be much less effective if required to disclose all sensitive conversations.

Correspondingly, the power of the Legislative branch is diminished by executive privilege. The battle between two branches of the government is not new, and nothing will change the balance of power that exists today. And certainly, the president will not lose his job because he exercised this authority.

The attitude of Democrats to think that the Senate, which is controlled by Republicans, would cooperate in the indictment of the president is naïve. The Senate is not going to redo what the House incompetently did previously.

Democrats have only one avenue to pursue in the Senate. That is to solicit the four or five Republicans who may be interested in calling new witnesses. It’s unlikely that any great discoveries will be made, and the Senate would then move for acquittal.

If the interviews take place and a huge revelation ensues, it would still be a long shot to oust the president because 67 votes would be needed to convict.

Unfortunately the Senate and the voting public will be subjected to never ending partisan claptrap for the next few weeks.

 

McConnell Is Going To Spank Democratic Senators

Democrats are making a last ditch effort to create a constitutional and democratic crisis for our country. Yet, their efforts to impeach President Trump for high crimes and misdemeanors is petering out because rabid liberals in the House still have been unable to prove that the president did anything illegal that rises to the level suggested by our Constitution.

After parading around the Capitol in a bizarre and melodramatic fraternity-like ritual (reminiscent of “Animal House” with no robes), and a joyous celebration led by Speaker Pelosi that was highlighted by deal gifts for her co-conspirators (pens that were used to sign the impeachment articles), the proceedings now go to the Senate where, hopefully, adults will prevail.

Democrats will try to secure more witnesses, encourage new revelations and give the liberal press more opportunities to do their dirty work of propagating false news. But, Sen. McConnell is going to put an end to this destructive melodrama. A vote to acquit will likely occur soon, and Congress can get back to work.

Murderers, drug dealers, kidnappers and those who have committed treason have been treated more fairly than a sitting president. Democrats are screaming that Trump is hiding something nefarious that will threaten our democracy and 2020 election. Nonsense!

In the meantime liberal lawmakers have prevented our elected officials from doing they nation’s business for months. To Trump’s credit, he has forged ahead to accomplish great things for our economy, for minorities financially and for our national defense. The president has proven he can multitask even while Democrats nip at his heals.

Liberals have not learned that it’s impossible to impeach and convict a sitting president because he or she is not a nice person. There is no provision in the Constitution that requires more than half the citizens to like the president. In fact, many who support him do not like Trump.

What is laughable is that Democratic political gurus are celebrating an impeachment to nowhere even as their candidates are losing ground to Trump in the presidential campaign. If the witch-hunt gang, the dingbats who lead House committees, had any brains they would end the Trump hunt and focus on winning in 2020.

But no, there are legacies and reputations to build and destroy. Thankfully our country is so strong that it can repel the idiots who are working so hard to denigrate it.

With a booming economy, a skyrocketing stock market, progress on several fronts internationally, Trump is unbeatable by the rag-tag group of socialists. The New York Times has spoken and endorsed Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar. The editorial board is backing two candidates. But only one can be elected. Even the Times is losing its mind by seemingly proposing a joint presidency, I guess, filled by two white females. Is diversity an issue for the Times?

Watch today as the Republicans give Democrats some of the same medicine dolled out by House Democrats. There will be no mercy.

Pelosi Is Doomed

Nancy Pelosi is known to be a prolific fundraiser for her colleagues and a decent leader of the House of Representatives, until recently. Her decisions relating to the impeachment of President Trump have tarnished her legacy and have put the Democratic Party in peril.

Speakers of the House have very important roles to play. Among other things they must decide the order of business for the House. Additionally they must convince even the most independent and uncooperative members of their caucus to vote with the majority on important matters. Pelosi has failed in both regards during many agonizing months of Trump-bashing.

The Speaker has the responsibility to keep order and decorum and to abide by the Constitution. The venomous attitude from the first day of the Trump administration has done nothing other than to make a mockery of our political system. We have stooped to a level where every day a politician is calling others liars. The House is a hotbed for name-calling and disrespect

Several months ago Pelosi was dead set against impeaching President Trump unless there was bipartisan support for such a monumental undertaking. Rightly so, she resisted the unbridled and un-statesmen like urgings of new members of her caucus and some old members who despised the man that resided in the White House. Unfortunately for our democracy, our government, rule of law and respect among our lawmakers, Pelosi caved and sanctioned the unthinkable.

She agreed to move forward with impeachment without considering the weakness of the case against the president. Pelosi stood by and enabled left wing zealots to conduct a kangaroo court. She even allowed her colleagues to dash the rights of the accused. Witnesses were not called that had first hand knowledge. She and her liberal associates did what they were accusing Trump of, they attempted to influence an election.

The zealots pushed forward even though conviction was impossible. Republicans held a strong Senate majority and would never convict Trump of impeachable offenses given the flimsy evidence drummed up by Democrats. Pelosi knew this as well and yet she sanctioned the unholy trial of the president. She was persuaded to move ahead if it somehow would damage Trump’s chances in 2020. We know now that the opposite has happened- Trump has never seemed stronger.

How have Democrats hurt our country and it political system? Here is an abbreviated list.

 

  • Democrats conducted an impeachment proceeding that subverted the entire government. Everyone was focused on incriminating evidence and a smoking gun. They never materialized.
  • Important matters relating to defense, immigration, education, voting rights, income inequality, terrorism, nuclear proliferation, health care and so much more were put on the backburner so liberals could conduct their three ring circus.
  • Democrat lawmakers lied in their zeal to convict. The leaders of the committees that presented the impeachment were guilty of twisting and exaggerating and the truth.
  • Democrats trashed the rule of law.
  • Democrats did nothing to encourage a bipartisan proceeding. They ignored all requests by the opposition.
  • The impeachment was supported only by innuendo, gossip and second-hand testimony.
  • Democrats kept feeding unrealistic expectations to the liberal press, which was duped in the process.
  • Democrats indicated that Trump’s persona and attitude alone was impeachable. Not being nice is not an impeachable offense.
  • All comity between lawmakers has been lost. It will be a generation before it returns.
  • New rules by the House and violations of precedent will encourage frivolous efforts to impeach future presidents.
  • Democrats ignored the role of courts to deal with issues between the branches of government for expediency.

 

So, where are we now? Pelosi decided to not deliver articles of impeachment for a few weeks, thereby delaying the Senate trial. [Note: the articles are supposedly coming this week.] This will have an effect on the impending presidential campaign schedule and the primaries in several states.

Pelosi was holding on to get concessions from the Senate Leader, Mitch McConnell. She got nothing and will pay for her mismanagement along with her liberal confederates.

Many Democrats are now concerned that their political lives have been jeopardized by Pelosi, based upon the impeachment hoax. It just might come to pass.

Iran’s Intentions Are Growing Even “Fishier”

The Iran debacle has gotten even “fishier” overnight. The plot has thickened as talking heads and “Iranian experts” try to explain Iran’s role in the apparent attack on a commercial airplane. It was taking off from Tehran’s airport at the same time that Iran was launching missiles at military bases in Iraq.

Did Iran actually shoot down a commercial airplane? For what reason? There were no Americans on board the flight. Will the ayatollahs fess up and take responsibility, or will the regime somehow attribute the tragedy to the US?

It’s conceivable that Iranians manning a mobile rocket launcher thought that the commercial plane was an American fighter jet. The plane took off around the time that Iran was launching missiles at US locations. But it was only one aircraft, not a barrage of attack jets zeroing in on Iran’s capital city.

Did Iran decide to delay or minimize retaliation against the US in light of a terrible mistake by members of a missile team on the ground? Every day more questions arise about the actions of Iran’s leadership.

There are several things that are disconcerting about recent events. Why were Iran’s missiles so inaccurate and ineffective? Was it because the Iranians did not want to kick-start a major conflict by killing more Americans? In fact, the Iranians supposedly warned the US about incoming missiles.

And why were missiles launched from Iran, several hundred miles away rather than by friendly Iran militia missile batteries close to US troops?

It should be noted that Iran was probably responsible for a pinpoint missile attack against a major Saudi oil facility. Why would that attack be so successful and the one against the US so ineffective?

Many analysts are attributing much of this to an Iranian government that does not want to engage the US at this time. Rather they would prefer to chip away at US interests in the region, the end game being no major response from the US and its departure from the region.

Trump quashed this notion by publicly stating that the US is not disengaging because the US is intent on preventing Iran from building a nuke, and will fight Iran’s continuing efforts to destabilize non-Shiite regimes.

The speculation about Iran’s intentions is creating great angst for many Iran watchers. Let’s hope that the real reason for Iran’ meek response to the assassination of Soleimani was domestic turmoil resulting from economic sanctions and not an impending all-out military response by Iran that includes a weapon of mass destruction, which has already been secretly built by the rogue regime.

There’s Something Fishy Going On With Iran

Is anyone suspicious about the circumstances surrounding the latest confrontation with Iran? Surprisingly, a very dangerous situation petered out with no US casualties. Both sides exhibited great restraint avoiding an all out clash.

Let’s consider the facts, as we know them. Iran conducted an operation in Iraq that left an American contractor dead. President Trump was outraged by the death and unleashed drones that killed one of the most notorious and renown generals in the Iran military. How the precise whereabouts of Soleimani were ascertained is a mystery.

Supposedly the general was a close confidante of the ayatollahs. And so, Iran protested the assassination and vowed to avenge his death. Fifteen, or so, ballistic missiles were launched from Iran, and they struck military targets in Iraq where US soldiers were stationed. A few of the missiles were duds, and the rest failed to kill or injure any Americans.

For some reason the US was given a heads up about the missiles, enabling them to protect its soldiers. In spite of the benign results of the missile attack, the ayatollahs proclaimed that Soliemani’s death had been avenged, and there would be no further ramifications. Even the marching and protesting in Iran has ceased. Pretty strange, don’t you think?

Did anyone believe that our president and the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, were capable of acting in such a restrained manner? The two men have indicated repeatedly that the other side is a mortal enemy, and that military conflict is virtually assured. Well both men had the opportunity to make this premonition a reality, and then they walked away. Don’t get me wrong, diplomacy is a much better way to settle disputes, but I, for one, didn’t think these men had it in them.

Perhaps Trump’s strategy and unpredictability spooked the ayatollah. The latter must know that an all out conflict would result in the death of the Iran state and regime change. So maybe Khamenei is a pragmatist deep down under. As far as Trump is concerned, he missed an opportunity to justify a fight that may have to take place sometime in the future. But, he acted with great poise in this instance.

So what’s fishy about the turn of events? Somebody blabbed about the whereabouts of Soleimani. Was it good intelligence generated by US sources, or maybe Khamenei wanted to get rid of his primo general because of his notoriety? Usually these types of manhunts are long and drawn out. This was a quick hit.

Why didn’t Trump respond to the missiles launched by Iran at our soldiers? It was an opportunity to teach the ayatollahs a lesson. Did Trump want to give Iran an opportunity to save face and avoid a bigger confrontation? Or maybe American forces were not prepared for a larger conflict at this moment. The president promised to hit back, hard, if Iran targeted US troops.

Is Trump conducting secret conversations through intermediaries? Is Iran caving because of crushing economic sanctions? Is Iran willing to agree to end its policy of destabilizing the region? Are we close to a new deal with Iran?

Why didn’t Iran use third parties to attack the US? Was the ploy too sensitive to use militia groups in Iraq?

As you can see, there are many unanswered questions.

The events during the past week could have been really damaging and led to a more extensive conflict between the US and Iran. Thankfully, it did not go down that path and no Americans were killed or injured. And, the US seemed to have gotten the best press out of what did transpired.

Iran Inches Towards Self Destruction

[This post was written before Iraq retaliated against US missile attacks last night.]

The response in Iran to the assassination, or “targeted killing,” of an Iranian general is predictably overstated. The ayatollahs are saying they will avenge the US missile attack, and Iranians are marching in the streets mourning their dear departed murderer and terrorist, Soleimani.

The US and President Trump should not be intimidated by the ayatollahs, the American press or the liberal left, for that matter. Any act of aggression against the US or any citizens must be responded to with an appropriate amount of firepower. Iran should pay dearly if it decides to ramp up this tit for tat exchange with the US.

Iranian people have been incited by their leaders. They are trying to convince their citizens that the US has bad intentions in the Middle East. The people are suffering from punishing sanctions by the US, so it’s not surprising to see them expressing their outrage against America.

The US has been on a collision course with Iran since the US Embassy was overrun during the Carter administration. More conflict is inevitable, the severity of which is dependent upon the reaction of the Iran government in the coming days.

Yet, Iran will be wise to tread carefully, and not push the US into a full-scale military response. Iran would surely suffer devastating casualties and destruction that will bring down its current regime. All the current static from Iran is bluster that cannot be supported with military might.

President Trump should not back down. A sign of weakness will only increase Iranian resolve. The decision to take cultural targets off the table was a no-brainer. But all military targets are fair game if Iran confronts our troops in the region.

It’s about time that Iran is taken down a few notches by the US. It is a nasty and unreasonable theocracy. The leaders hate every group that does not bow to Allah and some that do, including Sunni Arabs. The decision to give such a country a road map to nuclear armaments was one of the worst in history. How can Iran be trusted with a weapon of mass destruction? What was Obama thinking?

Moreover, the military power of Iran is inconsequential when compared to the US, just like the “elite” forces of Saddam Hussein. Iran’s military will be obliterated in hours in an all out struggle.

The time has come, before Iran develops a nuke, to draw a line in the sand. Iran may be in a position to bully weak regimes in the region, but it is no match for the US military.

Trump Should Be More Aggressive With Iran

Iran’s violent and aggressive posture towards the US has resulted in an exchange of relatively minor attacks during the past week, and a strong reaction from many in the region. Increased military action on both sides was, and is, inevitable, based upon the rhetoric emanating from both parties, and to a great extent, Iranian attempts to create instability in the Middle East.

A US strike with drones was conducted against an Iranian-backed militia group in Iraq. President Trump ordered it in response to the murder of an American contractor in the country. The drone killed 24 insurgents along with Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, an Iranian terrorist who has targeted Americans in the region.

Trump said the strike was ordered “to stop a war and to prevent future attacks on Americans.” He also said “Suliemani was plotting imminent and sinister attacks on American diplomats and military personnel, but we caught him in the act and terminated him.”

This all raises the question of whether a US president has the authority to hunt down killers like Suleimani. The US did the same and captured Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. They were either brought to justice and executed or killed on the spot.

There was no outrage from the opposing political party in the US or from the press at the time. Why are Trump’s motivations and actions always under such negative scrutiny? Is it possible that Democrats and their liberal press allies are siding with the maniacal actions and ideology of Iran?

Although it is difficult to believe, Trump also indicated that he’s not trying to encourage regime change in Iran. Rather, he call for Iran’s “aggression in the region to end immediately.” In fact Trump should be doing everything in his power to stymie the efforts of Iran to build a nuclear bomb and to destabilize the Middle East. He cannot allow Iran Shiites to dominate the region and persecute Sunnis and other religious groups.

There is little doubt that the trajectory of the US/Iran relationship is moving towards greater conflict. Iran will continue to conduct violent operations in Iraq (which for some reason believes having Iranian militias in the country is better than having American peacekeepers), and elsewhere in the region that soon should provoke even greater and more violent responses from the US.

The real problem for Iran is the abrogation of Obama’s nuclear treaty and economic sanctions. The former makes Iran vulnerable to an all-out assault by the US when and if Trump decides that Iran is close to building a deliverable nuclear strike, thereby threatening other non-Shiite countries including Israel.

The latter, economic sanctions, are decimating Iran, especially restrictions relating to oil production and sales. In fact regime change will most likely be greatly influenced by the total economic failure of Iran.

In the meantime Iran will utilize social media and staged protests against America. The Iranians have employed high tech criminals to foment anti-American sentiment on the Internet. And it will probably attempt to employ cyber warfare tactics to disrupt our elections an/or private industry in the US.

During this time of strife, nuclear threats, cyber attacks and social media activity, it is unwise to do anything less than support Trump as he deals with our greatest enemy, Iran. In the past the press has moderated its criticism, as did Congress. They should allow Trump and his intelligence advisors to address the Iranian threat. To this point Trump has responded with restraint, which will need to change as Iran strives to create more hostility in various hot spots throughout the Middle East.