Tag Archives: obstruction

national news

‘Compartmentalize,’ Mr. POTUS-elect

By JOHN KANELIS / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

Part of President Clinton’s success in the White House involved his ability to “compartmentalize” his relationships with political foes, including the politicians who sought his removal from office via impeachment after he messed around with a White House intern.

Clinton was able to set whatever personal animus he had for those individuals and work constructively with them to, oh, balance the federal budget and keep the economy steaming merrily along.

President Biden might encounter a similar challenge when he takes office in 16 days. At this moment, 11 Republican senators and 140 House members want to challenge his duly constituted election as president of the United States. They are dancing to the tune being called by the Seditionist in Chief, Donald Trump, who continues to rouse the rabbles by insisting there was voter fraud … where there wasn’t. Not even a little bit!

I am appalled to say that the Senate GOP ringleader appears to be the Cruz Missile, Texas’s junior senator Ted Cruz, who has managed to make me detest him more now than when he first entered the Senate.

Joe Biden has built a lengthy list of professional relationships with members of Congress on both sides of the great divide. He served for 36 years in the Senate, eight years as vice president. The man knows the players, he knows what makes ’em tick, can find their hot buttons without even trying.

He also will have to deal forthrightly with their insurgency, with the aim of subverting a legal, free and fair election. They want an “audit” of the results in several states before certifying the Electoral College vote this week. They won’t get the audit, but those 151 members of Congress will be on the record insisting on getting it.

How will the new president work with them? He must be able to compartmentalize those relationships the way President Clinton was able to do during his two successful terms in office.

If he can do that and give Americans the kind of leadership and governance that’s been missing for the past four years, President Biden will be able to craft a highly successful tenure in the nation’s highest office.

Here is hoping for President Biden’s success right out of the chute.

national news

Mr. POTUS, if there’s nothing to hide, then let us see the report

I cannot understand in the least the president’s resistance to releasing special counsel Robert Mueller’s report to the public.

Donald Trump says there’s “no collusion, no obstruction.” There’s “nothing there,” he says. There’s no there . . . there.

But then in the very next breath he said today that Democrats’ insistence on seeing the full report is a “disgrace.” He doesn’t want the report released, or so it now appears. He is bristling at House Judiciary Committee members’ scheduled vote Wednesday to force the release of the full Mueller report into alleged “collusion” with the Russians.

If there’s nothing in it, Mr. President, then just let Attorney General William Barr release the full report and let Americans — such as me and millions of others of us — determine for ourselves whether what you say is the truth.