Wagging the Dog

           

            Another year vanishes, its allegations of witness tampering, obstruction of justice, a resurgence of anti-Semitism, polarization of a restive public, promises of a new year to come of subpoenas, congressional hearings, a special prosecutor’s report cataloging misfeasance, mischief, sending echoes of  “high crimes and misdemeanors “ rumbling through the capitol.  Scoundrels never rest.

            Ah, for years gone by when Democrats and Republicans came together, Watergate dominating the airwaves, the nation glued to its televisions on the three broadcast networks.  Walter Cronkite and David Brinkley, trusted newsmen, just like Sean Hannity, telling us the facts, or in Hannity's case, alternative facts.

            The president's acolytes and knaves face an ever increasingly frowning statue of Justice, the scales of which are growing more lopsided every day, weighted with each new incriminating tweet, revelation, indictment and guilty plea.

            The president, increasingly frenetic, tweets tropes dedicated arguably to obstructing justice.  Even Richard Nixon, although he had no twitter feed, was too smart (he never expected that his secret tapes would be revealed) to confirm allegations in public. But this president does not seem to understand about the ones to come, charges that will emanate from Bob Mueller's crew of tight lipped, eagle-eyed, OCD prosecutors zeroing in on them.    Trump scurries about, tweeting and bloviating, like a steroid-injected chipmunk, now viewed as a meal for the eagle's newly hatched chicks. Mueller's reports, exponentially more incriminating, arrive  just in time for a Merry Christmas.  It is like watching "Love Actually" in reverse.

            President Trump, seeking cover, attended the G20, formerly the G7, or 12 or whatever, suspends the Chinese tariffs that should not have been imposed in the first place citing a victory.  Sending the army to the border to "protect" the nation from dispossessed, shirtless, starving migrants who were set to conduct an "invasion" across the Rio Grande and reclaim Texas for Mexico, or Honduras, take your scapegoat pick, did not reap the benefits he supposed.   Those mothers whose children, armed to the teeth with AR15s supplied by Wayne La Pierre are ready to take on the 7th cavalry.  "Play the Gary Owen,” shouts shout Trump’s minions,

            Trump, our latter day Father Coughlin/ Hughey Long, apologizes for MBS whose bone sawing team brazenly tortures, murders, and dismembers a journalist in the Saudi consulate in Turkey.  For Allah's sake, cries the despotic president of Turkey, Recip Tayip Erdogan, you are on my turf.  Michael Corleone versus the Tatagglias. Erdogan spills the beans to the CIA, the director of which flies to Istanbul to listen to the rasping sounds of saw on bone and the screeches of a man who had gone into the consulate to get his marriage documents. Trump's CIA director, Gina Haspel reluctantly testifies before congress that the CIA has confirmed the responsibility of MBS, and Trump says. "Maybe he did and maybe he didn't."    No smoking gun.  No collusion.  Witch-hunt.

Trump, despondent, because he cannot string up the entire staffs of the Washington Post, The New York Times, plus George Soros and Jeff Bezos.  Even more despondent because now he will have to face an angry swarm of Democratic subpoenas, hearings and even articles of impeachment.   Republicans, fearing the loss of their seats in 2020 will soon be jumping off the ship. One could argue that the tipping point is near, although many do not believe it.  After all, two years have passed since Trump raged about "American carnage, " his dark vision of America, provided by the conspiracist Steve Bannon, now relegated to internet malevolence.  

Those of us old enough to remember know that Watergate took a long time.  But there was, finally, a tipping point when Republican senatorial supporters told Nixon finally he must go.

"I'm a business man, why shouldn't I offer a $50 million penthouse to Vladimir?  After all he strongly denied any interference in our election and that tower I never built in Moscow with my name on it is coming soon.  "I just dream about all those oligarchs and plutocrats paying millions of dollars for a gold plated view of the Kremlin.  Can you imagine the money I will make on the extras?  Gold plumbing fixtures, Italian marble counters, high end appliances and toilets that wash your bottom before arising from the gold-plated toilet seat?

Of course, I place the interests of the United States first.  After all, I want payment in dollars, not rubles."

Will the money trail finally be revealed?  Will those tax returns be made public?

Will Trump’s felons need a new prison wing?

Come on Bobby three sticks,

I hope they are in time for Christmas.