National Republicans
Cutting Spending
Once again it’s not what Trump did, it’s how he did it. Congress appropriates money. The president spends it. If Trump doesn’t like how much Congress spends he can veto the spending. Or he can tell Congress ‘cut this waste now’ – and if Congress tells him no he can take his case to voters,…
Read MoreSignals Crossed
Who among us hasn’t accidentally hit “reply all” on a group text or email? Or sent a message to the wrong person? Of course we have. Of course, we didn’t disclose a military operation’s timing, targets and weapons on a hackable, non-secure messaging platform – and put a magazine editor on the text chain. If…
Read MoreDeporting Gang Members
The problem’s not Trump deporting Tren de Aragua gang members – that’s a good idea. The problem’s how he did it. Locked in jail five deportees sued, told the judge they were not Tren de Aragua gang members – all Trump had to do was prove they were. But didn’t. So staring at Trump’s lawyers…
Read MoreAn Old Doctrine
Politics just gets stranger and stranger. Trump ordered around 200 Tren de Aragua gang members deported – the ACLU filed a lawsuit, told a judge five of the deportees weren’t Tren de Aragua gang members. All Trump had to do was prove the ACLU was wrong. But he didn’t. Instead his lawyers said he had…
Read MoreThey probably won’t…
Whoever heard of a Washington politician voting to shut down the government? A bone-deep Washington politician, Chuck Schumer tore into Trump’s ‘continuing budget resolution,’ called it a bad bill then voted for it – to keep the government open. Trump thanked Schumer. Democrats howled. Tap-dancing Schumer threw up a smoke screen. Back when Trump first…
Read MoreWake Up, America
A dyed-in-the-wool Democrat, locked down during COVID, he called, surprised me asking: ‘Ford beat Reagan in the first 5 primaries in ‘76 – how on earth did Reagan beat Ford in North Carolina?’ The day we lost the Vietnam War mothers and fathers who’d lived through World War II, watching Russian tanks roll into Saigon,…
Read MoreHope
I have hope – despite what Trump is doing. I have hope because of what he’s doing – and what he promised to do but isn’t doing. I have hope because, in politics, the pendulum always swings back. I’ve seen it all my life. We had JFK and LBJ, then Nixon, then Carter, then Reagan…
Read MorePuzzling
Trump raised tariffs. Said tariffs are beautiful. The next day, about facing, said automakers didn’t have to pay the tariffs. A day after that suspended tariffs on Mexico and Canada for a month. If those tariffs are beautiful – why do that? And if those tariffs are not beautiful, why didn’t Trump know that in…
Read MoreThe Unknown
A legend in politics, with a sneaky streak but a kind heart, Paddy sat down in my office – clear-eyed, practical, thinning black hair, he sees Trump’s flaws but the moment he hears Trump’s voice a kind of supernatural power grips his heart and values he’s cherished for years fly out the window. Poking him,…
Read MoreSpinning Tales
Trump growled Zelensky started the Ukraine war. John Bolton said Trump was wrong. Angry, my friend Ken told me, ‘Ukraine doesn’t matter to us.’ Ken knew Zelensky hadn’t started the war. But Trump spinning a tale didn’t matter to him. After the Soviet Union collapsed, for 30 years America was the world’s dominant power. No…
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