Wondering on Wednesday (v219)

Ready... Set... Wonder!

Let's get right to the wondering, shall we?

Am I the only one wondering what's up with Mike Pompeo?  On the one hand, he's all over folks in Hong Kong for postponing the Legislative Council elections, saying in a statement that "there's no valid reason" for the one-year delay, and that Beijing "has no intention of upholding the commitments it made" both to the people of Hong Kong and the UK under the treaty between the countries.

For decades, the Hong Kong people have repeatedly demonstrated their desire and ability to hold free and fair elections. We urge Hong Kong authorities to reconsider their decision. The elections should be held as close to the September 6 date as possible and in a manner that reflects the will and aspirations of the Hong Kong people. If they aren’t, then regrettably Hong Kong will continue its march toward becoming just another Communist-run city in China.

Meanwhile, when asked about his boss's comments about potentially delaying the US elections, here's what he had to say in response to questions from Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) during his visit to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee a few days back. As you read this, remember he's a Harvard Law grad, in addition to being a Trump enabler.

I'm not going to enter a legal judgement on the fly this morning. In the end, the DOJ, others, will make that legal determination... 

I can't imagine any other Secretary of State not just simply saying "we will have our elections on time, as we do every year, as required under our Constitution." And equally, I wonder why it is that he couldn't bring himself to say that.

Speaking of Trump enablers, there's a great Dana Milbank piece in the WaPo about Mark Meadows, Trump's 4th Chief of Staff.  Among the highlights? Well, there's this:

During his seven years in Congress, he developed an unsurpassed reputation for blowing things up and making sure bills didn’t pass. But he has virtually no experience at getting things done.

And there was the part about Meadows perhaps being "bored" with the negotiations and saying "he’d be happy to have Trump take executive actions instead," which is a fabulous idea, don't you think? I won't spend any time wondering if anyone thinks I'm being serious, but I do wonder why I have such a hard time remembering who it was who said he only hires the best people?  

Republican operatives in several states are working to get Kanye West on the ballot... anyone else wondering why they're wasting their time? And do they really think that any significant number of people are going to throw their vote away and color in the little circle by his name?  And aren't the Rs the people trying to convince us they're concerned about the dreadful state of mental health care in the US? 

I'll leave you with a fabulous good news story - this one's a keeper. A little girl, named Meena, abandoned in a basket as a baby, later adopted, now a teenager, learns about all the senior dogs that don't get adopted - and decides to do something about it.  I only wonder here what else she's going to accomplish in life? 

That's enough for this week. What are you wondering about?