I haven't been posting much about 45 (I refuse to dignify him with his name), because I'm afraid I couldn't stop. But I have something fairly succinct to say about the current flap over the summary of the Mueller report, which is all anyone but the attorney general has seen.
Mueller was quoted that he "did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government" during the campaign. He also "did not draw a conclusion" about whether obstruction of justice occurred. He did, however, say that the report did not exonerate the president on obstruction of justice. 45 has spent the week since the report was delivered, Tweeting madly about how he's been Wronged, and how it was all Fake News.
Nonetheless, it's clear that there was Russian interference in the 2016 election, via a brilliant cyber warfare campaign, not so much in favor of 45's election as against Hillary Clinton's. Regardless of whether 45 chooses to believe Vladimir Putin on this, if every intelligence agency we have says that this happened (and they do), I believe them, and I thank them.
Consider that a direct connection with the Trump campaign was not necessary for Russia to attack our election using social media and cyber warfare. Look at the history. Putin has dealt with Hillary Clinton before, when she was Secretary of State; and he hates her guts. I don't think he cared which of the 17 Republican candidates won the nomination; he would have launched that campaign regardless. He didn't care who won, as long as it wasn't Hillary. I'm sure he was delighted when the field narrowed down to a relatively stupid man, who happened to be a brilliant demagogue, and with whom the Russian oligarchy had done business for the last 30 years. Putin knew all about 45, if he didn't know him personally. My take is that 45 is what the Russian intelligence people call a "useful idiot." Notice that the famous meeting at the Trump Tower with potential "dirt on Hillary" was initiated by the Russians, not the Trump campaign - the fact that they leaped at the bait says more about them than it does about the Russians.
I trust we will soon see the full Mueller report. But the apparent fact that Mueller failed to establish conspiracy or coordination with Russia does not mean that 45 is qualified for the office he now regrettably holds. Because he isn't. And if he actually closes the Mexican border to all traffic, which he now threatens to do, the impact on the American economy will be, let's say, visible.
