General
Fingers of Blame
The Taliban is a terrorist group. Trump made a deal with Taliban to withdraw our soldiers from Afghanistan. It didn’t work out. Taliban took over. Trump roared it was Joe Biden’s fault. Biden, pointing fingers, shot back Trump signed the agreement with Taliban. It was Trump’s fault. Neither ever admitted he made a single mistake.…
Read MoreA Political Earthquake Rocks Biden and Trump
John Bolton and I both supported Reagan in 1976; four years later when Reagan’s campaign emerged from the New Hampshire primary dead-broke John told me: The Congressional Club needs to do an independent campaign for Reagan. Puzzled, I asked: What’s an independent campaign? Americans for Reagan spent millions to help elect Reagan. Last February as…
Read MoreHanding an Enemy a Gift
If you’d asked me, Leave Afghanistan? a year ago I’d have nodded, said, Yes. We had tanks, jets, helicopters, drones – and Taliban didn’t – but we botched the war. But it turns out escape was an illusion. It’s an old story. We fight an enemy. We hand our enemy a gift. And the chickens…
Read MoreThe Republican World Today
Eyes locked on a television set, sitting ramrod straight, lean-faced, Dan stared at Joe Biden – in the middle of a sentence Biden lost his train of thought, stammered, waving his hands, face blank. “He’s senile.” Turning, Dan glared at me. “Those two polls about Trump that John Bolton or you did were a joke.”…
Read MoreEchoing a Proverb
Trump roars…rules…dictates who wins Republican primaries…that mantra bit the dust last week. John Bolton and I have been friends for 40 years; one of the last old-fashioned conservatives, he supported Reagan back in 1976, helped me in Jesse’s campaign a year later, left his law practice to serve in Reagan’s administration. Last February as we…
Read MoreThe Swamp: Alive and Well
The other day Mitch McConnell told Chuck Schumer that not one Republican Senator would vote to raise the debt ceiling…then in the next breath told Schumer how to raise the ceiling on his own without a single Republican vote. Schumer shot back: ‘This debt is Trump’s debt. It’s Covid debt. Americans pay their debts.’ To…
Read MoreThe Deadliest Fruit
Standing on stage at his rally in Ohio Trump bragged, ‘I won by a landslide’ – beside me, watching Trump’s video, my friend nodded. I leaned toward him. ‘Give me one fact that proves Trump won?’ He laughed. ‘Do I think the Democrats would steal an election…yes, in a minute.’ He didn’t need facts –…
Read MoreReality Show Politics
Love him or despise him you have to admit Donald Trump is a larger than life character, a law unto himself; before he became President in 2016 he changed parties five times; launching his first campaign for President – back in 2000 – on CNN he told Larry King, ‘I hate, hate abortion but I’m…
Read MoreHave You No Decency?
A mob of protesters howled, ‘Give Nikole Hannah-Jones tenure – you’re racist.’ UNC Trustees wilted. Howls won. That night Bonfire of the Vanities was on television – to get himself elected Mayor a scheming New York district attorney indicted a Wall Street master-of-the-universe (played by Tom Hanks), claiming driving down a backstreet in the Bronx…
Read MoreA Poll About Trump
Donald Trump’s spokesman said: The Republican Party is Trump’s Party. I wondered, Truth? Or bluster? Later, talking with John Bolton, catching up, we talked about the same question. That led to a poll – one number leaped out: Trump’s ‘Favorable/Unfavorable’ rating with Republicans. When a candidate’s popularity begins to wane it’s seldom like a titanic…
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