November 13, 2020
After the election celebrations have ended, reality seems to be setting in. Donald Trump is still being the real Donald Trump. That means he is still living in his own universe of ego, lies, fantasy, and self-importance. That’s the same universe that he has inhabited throughout the last five years—and perhaps all of his miserable, wasted, non-productive, dumb, life. His special universe wouldn’t be so bad for our country if he didn’t have his favorite enablers like Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz and William Barr, still pretending that the election didn’t happen, Trump didn’t lose the election, and the votes against him were fraudulent. That bunch is every bit as evil as Donald Trump. They are all much more intelligent than Donald and should know better than to pimp for a total evil idiot like Trump. I’m sorry that I don’t know enough about our government’s laws or the legal process regarding transition of power after an election. I will have to trust that there is somebody on Biden’s team that does know the rules and procedures that apply in this situation. Maybe Kamala or Joe? I hope so!
I had just ‘saved’ this to wherever it goes (into the cloud or some secret recess of my computer’s memory, or both?) to go to the kitchen for breakfast where, along with my shredded Ralston, I usually scan a few parts of the local morning paper. It’s sort of a low-brow, conservative, Republican, mouthpiece struggling to stay alive in a fiercely Democratic State. However, low and behold, today’s (Thursday, Nov. 12) OPINION page in that rag has an op-ed column written by Dana Milbank! It wasn’t labeled an Op-ed column but anything from a writer who works for The Washington Post, must be considered so, if it appears in this no-news and declining advertising, paper. Since the article carried the headline Trump sabotaging national security to soothe bruised ego, I just had to read it. Maybe it will have the answer I’m looking for?
Mr. Milbank starts the article off with a rather strong lead statement—“So this will be President Donald Trump’s parting gift to the nation: He is deliberately sabotaging the national security of the United States.” Further along in the article, he notes that the 9/11 (Investigative) Commission recommended that “the outgoing administration should provide the president-elect, as soon as possible after election day, with a classified, compartmental list that catalogues specific, operational threats to national security, major military or cover(t) (sic.) operations, and pending decisions on the possible use of force.” Then, Mr. Milbank quotes a Mr. John Bellinger, who was on George W’s National Security Council and, probably, noted for his eloquence, “This is serious stuff.“ He said. “We are talking about the national security of the country, and Trump and Republicans on the hill are playing politics with it”!” (I guess I should add a polite ‘amen’, rather than adding—if I would write, or quote, that kind of high school prose, I doubt that The Albuquerque Journal, much less The Washington Post, would hire me for anything above a janitorial position!) I feel it necessary to note that, unfortunately, all of the above, are opinions or recommendations. No ‘law’ has yet to be cited in his article.
And then, Mr. Milbank dug deep into the dark and confusing morass of Deep-State authority by noting that a young lady, named Emily Murphy, “who as administrator of the General Services Administration has the formal task of “ascertaining” the winner of the election. Redundancy aside, Mr. Milbank goes on to write, “She’s a longtime public servant who, I’m told, justifiably fears the wrath that Trump would bring down on her if she authorizes the transition. Hopefully she can be persuaded that avoiding another 9/11, or its equivalent, is worth getting fired or flamed (sic.) by Trump.”
Mr. Milbank goes on for another seven paragraphs describing what the President-elect needs to do (“tap 4,000 political appointees, including 1,250 who need Senate confirmation—according to the Partnership for Public Service’s Center for Presidential Transition. He’ll also need to draft a $5 trillion budget and take charge of 2 million civilian employees and 2 million troops.”), how difficult doing all of this during a pandemic will be, and then quoting such a ‘familiar source’ as William J. Antholis, director of the University of Virginia’s Miller Center for public policy, who
has written, “this does not have to be a political crisis. The election was not historically close.” And then goes on to note that national security transitions are “complicated and dangerous.” Milbank adds, “It’s no coincidence that the Bay of Pigs in 1961, Black Hawk Down in 1993, and the 9/11 attacks all came during the first year of presidential terms.” Milbank then quotes ‘a group’ (how do you quote a group?) of former senior officials in the ‘W’ and Obama administrations who urged the Trump administration “to immediately begin the post-election transition process.” He closes with a quote from ‘W’, who we all remember for his personal integrity as president in the Cheney-Rumsfeld administration, who said, “The American People can have confidence that this election was fundamentally fair, its integrity will be upheld, and its outcome is clear.”
Mr. Milbank closes his article with this short paragraph, which reads more like an apology than a strong opinion, “It’s understandable that current Republican officeholders don’t want to cross Trump by calling on him to concede. But if they don’t insist that he at least authorize the start of a transition, they, too, are sabotaging our national security because of one man’s hurt feelings.” (underline mine).
Thanks, Mr. Milbank, for making it very clear (according to your article) that there is no legal pathway that determines the transition of power in our presidential elections. Or is there? Stay tuned, we may soon find out. And “because of one man’s hurt feelings.” Bull Shit! That “one man” has a very serious narcissistic-sociopath condition making him totally unfit to hold any public office, even as dog-catcher! The Albuquerque Journal should apologize for printing such a piece of gut-less crap! But, on second thought, maybe that is exactly the reason the ‘Editor’ chose to print it? Remember when we all laughed at the old line about Henry Luce and his literary empire? “Life (magazine) is for people who can’t read, and Time (magazine) is for people who can’t think!” The Albuquerque Journal has one foot in each camp
Hubris said that The Albuquerque Journal is not only not fit to read, it isn’t fit to eat—so why make all this fuss about something you can’t control? That’s good ‘horse-sense’! No Hi, Ho, Hubris, Away! again this evening, Too cold and it looks like rain—which we seriously need. So, Adios Amigos!—and stay warm and safe,
Lou
Copyright, November 13, 2020, Louis J. Christen