by Phil Erwin
Ken Starr, best known for having served as the Independent Prosecutor that investigated President Clinton’s alleged (and eventually proven) wrongdoings, observed: “We’re now living in Impeachment-Land.”
Sure seems that way, doesn’t it?
It isn’t only that we now have a so-called “formal Impeachment Inquiry” muddling along under the bug-eyed blather of Adam Schiff-for-brains. Trump has been subjected to unrelenting impeachment pressures since before he took office. The Washington Post reported just 19 minutes after Trump took his oath that “The Campaign to Impeach President Trump Has Begun.” The Media were considering possibilities six months before the election! And as investigations have uncovered, there actually were Deep-State operatives working on “insurance” strategies to defame, disparage and ultimately impeach the new President.
First it was voting “irregularities.” He must have cheated!! Somehow… ‘Cause, you know… He couldn’t possibly have beaten her!”
Then is was “unfitness.” He’s unfit to be President! He Tweets insults! He does “covfefe”! He can’t even speak Politician, he speaks plain English that people can actually understand! (Maybe it’s not enough to impeach him, but we’ll wear a wire, get him on tape, get him committed!! 25th Amendment!!)
That one didn’t last long. Not to worry, they brought out the Big Gun: a “Dossier!” (That’s spy-speak for “work of fiction.”) Then they engineered a Special Prosecutor. Anointed Robert Mueller to the post, ’cause clearly they knew he’d be a useful idiot – a stellar reputation in law enforcement, and a life-long Republican, but… ahem – way past his prime. Ready for slippers and fireside cocoa. Completely malleable. With a pit-bull bastard actually running the show, hiring an entire stable of Trump haters to dog the President and his supporters for… However long it takes! To the ends of the Earth! Or, as Paul Manafort, George Papadopolous, Roger Stone and Jerome Corsi found out – To the depths of Hell! We’re gonna impeach the MF!
(That last comment actually was voiced publicly by a newly-elected “Congresswoman.” But you can be sure every single never-Trumper in the Deep State echoed that sentiment every day, from the moment they awoke ’til their conspiring little heads hit the pillow.)
Well. Nearly three years, forty million taxpayer dollars and countless thousands of hours of supposedly “professional” investigation, and what did Mueller et al come up with?
Zip. Zero. Nada.
Ooops. Sorry, Joe. I know we were supposed to clear the 2020 field for you, but… We kinda dropped the ball. Screwed the pooch. Tipped over the oilpan. Spilt the milk.
Crapped on the country.
But… Don’t worry, Joe! We’ve got it covered! Nancy’s turned Shifty Shiff-head lose! He’s gotchur back! He’s got the goods! (Well, actually, he ain’t got spit… But don’tchoo worry, Joe, he’ll make sumpin’ up! He’s good at that! Even read some fiction right into the Congressional Record, like it was the worst thing Trump’s ever said! A hundred years from now that’s what they’ll be saying Trump was really an orange Sicilian don!
You know what all this silly subterfuge will rest on?
Donald Trump asking the Ukraine’s new President Zelensky, on a completely-monitored head-of-state phone call, to “Do me a favor…”
OMG. The Universe is exploding! One President asking another President to “Do me a favor…”
The essence of what Democrats would have you believe is that Trump told Zelensky that he could NOT have foreign-aid money UNLESS he dug up dirt on Biden that he, Trump, could use against Biden in 2020.
That would be a clear abuse of Presidential authority, and would represent a clearly impeachable offense – one that might even get Republican support – if it had happened.
But it did not happen.
Was there an aid package? Yes.
Was there a request for assurances that the Ukraine would assist in investigating 2016 corruption and/or untoward influences in OUR election process? Yes.
Was there a White House meeting suggested to facilitate accomplishing that discussion? Yes
Was the aid package delivered? Yes.
But:
Was the aid package made dependent on the Ukraine delivering anti-corruption information? NO!!
Was it held back until the Ukraine met with Trump’s request? NO!!
Did the Ukraine even know that the aid package had been delayed? NO!!
Was the White House meeting made dependent upon the above US desires? NO!!
So: Where’s the beef, Adam?!?? Where’s the beef, Nancy?!??
There is no beef. Only a smelly pile of the stuff that comes out the back end of the beef.
The simple truth is this: All U.S. foreign aid is contingent upon some measure of cooperation, on the part of the nation receiving the aid, with our own national foreign policy objectives! Else, what would be the justification for giving away tax dollars? The point of the aid is to foster behaviors, policies or circumstances in the receiving country that are consistent with U.S. national and foreign policy interests. Why should it be otherwise? To use American tax dollars to foster detrimental activities in other lands would be a foolish abuse of power, as well as a waste of money.
Consider that American aid was given to both North Korea and Iran in advance of gaining specific changes in the nuclear ambitions of those two regimes. Three previous administrations tried this. Their intent was to encourage abandonment of nuclear ambitions by fostering inter-national trust, leading to cooperation. But the result has been precisely the opposite – aid-bolstered regimes increasing their nuclear activities. Obama handing the Ayatollah billions in aid was guaranteed to result in increased terrorism while doing nothing more than delaying nuclear development in Iran. How is that not an abuse of Presidential authority?
So, Trump correctly recognized the folly in this approach, and correctly seeks true changes in the behaviors of Iran and North Korea before considering further aid to these rogue nations.
And where the Ukraine is concerned, the behavioral change Trump sought was some guarantee that the historically corrupt Ukraine government won’t continue to squander our money corruptly, coupled with assistance in discovering Americans’ misdeeds within the Ukraine that may have challenged the integrity of our own elections in 2016.
What’s wrong with that?
Nothing.
Quid: Good for you. Pro Quo: Good for us. So… Let’s dance.
Not only is there nothing wrong with so encumbering a foreign-aid package, it is completely consonant with the proper exercise of Presidential authority, and the fulfillment of Presidential responsibilities.
What UkraineGate demonstrates is that President Trump is doing his job, while Democrats are doing their level best to obstruct him.
So, really, Adam; really, Nancy: Just who should be impeached?!?
Phil Erwin is an author, IT administrator and registered Independent living in Newbury Park. He would like to support some Democrat ideals, but he has a visceral hatred for Lies and Damn Lies (and is highly suspicious of Statistics.) That pretty much eliminates supporting most Democrats, and a bunch of Republicans to boot.
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