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McCain and Trump

From the sentiments expressed at the funeral for John McCain to the anonymous letter blasting President Donald Trump, a caution must be given to Democrats. Stay out of a Republican fight to once again have it both ways on Trump. Their hypocrisy and cowardice were on full display at both events.

No doubt, the feelings were strong for McCain, but the underlining theme was not only anti-Trump, but hawkish. The military presence was immense and the message was clear. Trump must not attempt to make any changes in foreign policy that does not square with the military and the National Security state. When Gary Cohn told Bob Woodward that he removed a letter from Trump’s desk, he displayed monumental arrogance. I don’t recall Cohn on the ballot for anything, and if he objected so much to Trump’s policies he could have quit earlier. But alas, Cohn continued only what had been started during the campaign, which was artless maneuverings against Trump.

Many in the Republican party, fearful that a landslide by Hillary Clinton would sweep them out of Congress, tried to reduce her margin. The GOP then rode out the campaign and were shocked when Trump won. Then the effort against him and his administration began in earnest. Suddenly, whatever the president tried to do differently, his friends intervened vigorously by leaking information to the press. They desired to reduce Trump to puppet status and they largely succeeded.

The funeral was understandably critical of Trump, given the latter’s insulting remarks about McCain, but McCain was not always prudent in his choice of language either. Certainly he referred to a demonstrator in a hearing room as “scum” and made sport over possibly bombing Iran. His personal life partially resembled Trump’s and he believed himself a “maverick.” Some maverick, a man who stood shoulder to shoulder with every member of the established order that you could think of.

Give him credit, McCain struck back from the grave. It was a funeral alright, but mostly it represented a call to arms against Trump. But at least it was open, saying nothing about the president that McCain had not said in life.

The anonymous letter smacks of a Republican trick, that represented perfectly the style of intrigue engaged in by GOP operatives since the inauguration. It’s all Trump, ignore the Congress whose shenanigans at the Brent Kavanaugh hearings really show the true sentiments of the Republicans. Just hit Trump while ignoring the Congressional leadership, that’s the game all the coup plotters know.

As petty as Trump can be, never forget his problems are basically due to Republican insiders’ trickery at Cleveland. Not able to control him, they saddled him with a platform that he did not campaign on. And probably blocked any attempts to reach out to the Democrats.

This rolling attempt to wink and nod to halt Trump is bound to end badly. And chances are the leakers are not as faithful to the Republicans as presumed.

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