TGIF 11/22/19

Here we go again -- the good week/bad week list - and a bountiful week it was!

I'm sure Senator Lindsey Graham (R-Trump) thinks he had a good week. He announced an investigation into his old friend Joe Biden. Graham's letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (R-Kansas) requests certain records to determine he "played a role in the termination" of a world-renowned ineffective Ukrainian prosecutor "in an effort to end the investigation of the company that employed his son..."

Anyone know what Lindsey's quid pro quo is?

Graham's letter to Pompeo inexplicably notes that (emphasis added)

...on February 4, 2016, Hunter Biden began "following" then-Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken, a longtime advisor to Vice President Joe Biden, on Twitter, indicating that the two may have initiated conversations regarding Prosecutor General Shokin's investigation into Burisma...

Um, I just added Graham to the group of people I follow on Twitter. I'm pretty sure he doesn't think that he and I have "initiated conversations" about anything. I'm guessing Graham got his understanding of the Interwebs from Rudy Giuliani - and for that reason alone, I'm putting him on the bad week list.

Opening statements had a good and bad week. On the good side? The fact witnesses at the impeachment hearings; whether or not you agree with what they said, or believe them, they stated their cases clearly and for the most part, provided facts as they experienced them, even if that means some of what they had to say would be hearsay in a court of law. Kudos to those who appeared, and a Bronx cheer to those who can't decide on their own what's the right thing to do.

On the bad side? Adam Schiff and Devin Nunes. The former went overboard trying to lay the foundation for the witnesses that were to testify. The latter ridiculously suggesting that the Dems would have impeached George Washington for sending Supreme Court Justice John Jay to negotiate with the British.

If anyone would ever equate these two presidents, their emissaries, or their respective causes - hurting a political rival vs. trying to avoid a war - well, let's just leave it at that.

Questions also had a mixed week. During Wednesday's debate, we heard questions on new topics. For example, Sens. Klobuchar and Harris were asked to defend their family leave plans (three months and six months, respectively). Andrew Yang was asked what he'd do to ease the burden of high child care costs. Several of them got to talk about how they'd address the lack of affordable housing.  There were some silly questions, too -- there always are - but at least they got to talk about real issues faced by real people for a change.

During the impeachment hearings,we heard good and bad questions. We also heard some that, if we were watching a crime show on TV instead of our government in action, a witness could logically ask the Representatives to just say whether or not there was a question at all. But there were also times when the Dems failed to close the deal. Here are just a couple of examples:

• Trump and Zelensky haven't met at the White House, which is what Zelensky wanted as part of the 'deal' with Trump. Sure, they met at the UN, but that's not close to the same thing. The Republicans tried to pretend the UN meeting was an equivalent session, but everyone knows it was not - and none of the Dems pressed that point.

• When Ambassador Sondland testified that Trump wanted Zelensky to "do the right thing," we know that meant investigating Crowdstrike and the Bidens - that was the whole 'favor' part of the second call. The Rs focused on the Latin (no quid pro quo) - the Dems failed to focus on the English (do the right thing).

And finally, I'm going to suggest that the Pres of the U. S. had a bad week. Speaking to the pained group at Fox & Friends this morning, Trump said this  about former Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch:

This ambassador, that, you know, everybody says is a wonderful, she wouldn't have my picture in the embassy. Okay she's in charge of the embassy. She wouldn't hang it. It took like  a year and a half or two years for her to get the picture up... This was an Obama person who didn't want to hang my picture in the embassy. It's standard is you put the president of the United States picture in the embassy. This was not an angel, this woman. She's an Obama person.

Never mind that the Washington Post reported on the absence of the portraits in September 2017 and again when they were finally released on Halloween. And never mind that the US Embassy in London also didn't have the president's picture hanging for months, either. Because, according to Lewis Lukens, who was a former acting ambassador to the UK and deputy chief of mission in London from 2016 - 2019, 

It took the White House almost 15 months to get official photos sent to embassies to hang. And we were instructed not to print other photos. 

TGIF everyone -- TGIF. 

TGIF 11/15/19

Where to begin with today's good week - bad week list?

How about that Browns/Steelers fight last night? I didn't watch the game and hadn't seen any news before I saw the video, so it was quite the shocker to see before breakfast this morning.  With quarter-million-dollar fines to both teams, player suspensions and fines already announced, I'm thinking this falls squarely in the bad week column.

And then, part of me thought about the people who make those 'cute' videos with images of president Trump's head superimposed on other people's bodies, attacking the media, or his enemies (John McCain and Hillary Clinton, among others) getting hold of this one and having Trump, I don't know, beating Rep. Adam Schiff over the head with a helmet or something. Because I can certainly see that happening.

Continuing in the bad week vein, I'd have to include a few reporters, including Jonathan Allen of NBC, who offered this:

But at a time when Democrats are simultaneously eager to influence public opinion in favor of ousting the president and quietly apprehensive that their hearings could stall of backfire, the first round felt like the dress rehearsal for a serious one-act plan than the opening night of a hit Broadway musical. 

Seriously? I guess maybe the Dems should call Randy Rainbow to come in a do a few beautifully crafted, snarky showtunes?

Allen also offered this, after talking about Ambassador Bill Taylor and diplomat George Kent delivering a 'wide-ranging discourse" on diplomacy and more (emphasis added),

And yet Taylor and Kent failed - or perhaps succeeded, given their nonpartisan roles in government and the atypically serious postures struck by lawmakers of both parties - by dropping no bombshells and largely repeating the testimony they gave congressional investigators at depositions previously held behind closed doors.

So, instead, they should have changed their stories, to generate better headlines? Tweeted from their witness chairs to spark controversy? Pounded their shoes on the table, or Nicholsoned or something?Would that have been more 'pizzazzy' for everyone?

Allen and NBC were not alone - Reuters reporters Jeff Mason and Patricia Zengerle offered this:

Democratic lawmakers tried their hand at reality television with mixed results on Wednesday as they presented arguments to the American public for the impeachment of a former start of the genre, Donald Trump. 

Unlike the best reality TV shows - not to mention the Trump presidency itself - fireworks and explosive moments were scarce, however.  

I'm guessing that Taylor and Kent will likely be making apologies to all Americans, letting us know they didn't realize that appearing under subpoena to provide testimony in an impeachment hearing should have been something done with bells on, or something. Besides, Kent was wearing a bow tie - what more fun can a person have (in contrast to the jacketless Jim Jordan)? Maybe an appearance on Sesame Street or something in the next week or so?

And, of course, I'm sure Rep. Schiff will reach out personally to the president's second son to make amends, because. as Reuters told us,

To the president's son, Eric Trump, it was a big yawn. 

I get that there's a component to this of making impeachment understandable to people, to voters,  just as there was in the Clinton hearings. And I'm sorry that there isn't an ejaculate-stained blue dress this time around. No - I'm really not sorry there's nothing as salacious here, unless of course you count Devin Nunes' opening statement on Wednesday.

Sticking with the impeachment for a little bit longer, I'm sorry that one of New York's own representatives, Elise Stefanik, is willingly participating in the game being played by Nunes and the rest of her party, instead of acting like a reasonable person. During today's hearing, Nunes attempted to yield the floor to Stefanik during what I'll loosely call 'leader time' - both of them knowing that she was not allowed to speak at that time.  Why? Because rules, that's why (emphasis added)

• Extended Questioning by the Chair, Ranking Member, and Committee Counsels. Pursuant to H. Res. 660, the Chair and Ranking Member may conduct at the outset of each open hearing extended rounds of questioning for periods of up to 90 minutes, as determined by the Chair and split evenly between the two sides. As specified in H. Res. 660, the Chair and Ranking Member may not yield time to other Members during these extended question periods, though either may yield time to Majority and Minority Committee Counsels, respectively.

• A similar rule put in place initially by House Republican leadership in 1997 authorized committees to allow extended periods of time for the questioning of witnesses, in excess of traditional five-minute rounds. The 1997 revision also allowed staff to question witnesses at hearings. Under this approach, which was also adopted in subsequent Congresses, staff questioned witnesses during the Clinton impeachment hearings and in numerous other investigative hearings.

• As Chairman, I expect to yield extensive time to Majority Committee Counsel during the extended questioning periods permitted under H. Res. 660. After I announce the conclusion of extended questioning, Committee Members will be recognized for customary five-minute rounds pursuant to House Rule XI. 

I'm sure though, that this will meet the 'pizzazz' threshold for DC reporters, because it looks good that there's some fighting and finger-pointing and all that. What it mostly does, though, is show the willingness of the GOP to do whatever they can to attack the hearings.

Yay, us, or something.

On the good side of the ledger? One name out there: former Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, who received a standing ovation after her testimony today.  Texas Republican Will Hurd had this to say about her, after reciting a list of her awards and recognitions:

You're tough as nails and you're smart as hell. You're a great example of what our ambassadors should be like. You're an honor to your family, you are an honor to the foreign service, you are an honor to this country, and I thank you for all that you have done and will continue to do on behalf of your country.

I'd add the Roger Stone jury, as well.

The panel of nine women and three men deliberated for less than two days before finding Stone, 67, guilty on all seven counts resulting from his September 2017 testimony to the House Intelligence Committee, which was investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election and the Kremlin’s efforts to damage Donald Trump’s Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton.

Perhaps Stone will get a Donald Trump tattoo to go with his Richard Nixon tattoo; it might help his efforts to get a pardon.

TGIF, everyone.

TGIF 10/18/19

Remember when the president said he liked having 'acting' officials in his administration?

Here's what he said in an interview this past spring: “I like acting because I can move so quickly. It gives me more flexibility.” 

Mick Mulvaney, the president's acting Chief of Staff  and the guy who said on camera that there was a quid pro quo with Ukraine and the aid that Congress had appropriated for them might be experiencing some of Trump's famous 'flexibility' soon. I don't know what the rest of you think, but if you're the guy who blew the president's defense in an impeachment inquiry, it might make sense to keep a close eye on a certain Twitter feed and to watch for fast-moving buses.

Rick Perry, the guy who got to be head of a department he wanted to eliminate, has decided he's had enough fun and will be leaving by the end of the year. The official announcement was kind of a let-down, since it had been reported a couple of weeks ago that he was going to be making this move. Perry's time in the Trump administration will be remembered for "freedom gas" as well as for helping to advance our energy dominance, and of course for his role in the Ukraine mess. And speaking of that mess, Perry missed a subpoena deadline this week.

Also not having a good week? Joe Biden. Everyone - experts and amateurs like me included - said he lost the debate this week, and of course, he and his son Hunter are under almost continuous deflecting attacks by the president and his minions. And now, there's a report out that flags were raised back in 2015 that Hunter's job on the Burisma board was a concern, and that it sent the wrong message to Ukraine on why rooting out corruption was important. That Biden doesn't recognize this - or refuses to recognize it - and that it's going to drag down his campaign and the Democrats as a whole, is both sad and inexcusable.

And finally, I've said this before and I'll keep saying it as many times as I have to. Hillary Clinton, sit down. And please, stay out of the fray. We don't need you interjecting yourself into the 2020 campaign. Go sell books or something.

And on the good side of the ledger?

NASA finally was able to have an all-female space walk, after solving the wardrobe problem that delayed it a while back. Flight Engineers Christina Koch and Jessica Meir spent over seven hours replacing a device that helps distribute solar power to the space station, and also got a jump on some other work.

And former Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch had a good week, it seems, by testifying before Congress in defiance of the State Department (and the White House). Kudos to her for appearing and for shedding light on the damage being done at State by Rudy Giuliani and others who are making a royal mess of things. And kudos as well to Gordon Sondland, our ambassador to the European Union, who also testified this week.

Here's hoping others will come forward and share what they know about what the heck is going on in the White House.

TGIF, everyone.