Clearly...

Fellow...

Impeaching Donald Trump would do nothing to halt the deep decay that has beset the American republic. It would not magically restore democratic institutions. It would not return us to the rule of law.   

Impeachment is about cosmetics. It is about replacing the public face of empire with a political mandarin such as Joe Biden, himself steeped in corruption and obsequious service to the rich and corporate power, who will carry out the same suicidal policies with appropriate regal decorum. 

The ruling elites have had enough of Trump’s vulgarity, stupidity and staggering ineptitude. They turned on him not over an egregious impeachable offense because he made the fatal mistake of trying to take down a fellow member of the ruling elite.

But this kind of dirty quid pro quo is the staple of politics and international relations. Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence official, was hired to dig up dirt on Trump and Russia by Fusion GPS, a research and intelligence firm under contract to investigate Trump by Perkins Coie, a law firm working for the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee. 

Four decades ago, Ronald Reagan’s campaign manager, William Casey, asked the Iranians not to free the American hostages held in Tehran until after the November presidential election to hurt incumbent Jimmy Carter, according to Gary Sick, Carter’s chief aide on Iran. The American hostages were released the day Reagan was inaugurated, in January 1981.

Trump, however, will not go quietly into this good night. He will attempt to bring the whole rotten edifice down with him. And he may succeed.

Help...

Burn...

Bernie Sanders has jumped into a virtual tie with Joe Biden nationally just before the first nominating contests in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, according to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Friday.

The Vermont senator has the support of 27% of Democratic primary voters, a 6 percentage point jump from December, the survey found. The former vice president follows closely at 26% — down 2 percentage points from a month ago. Sanders' 1 percentage point edge falls well within the poll's plus-or-minus 4.7 percentage point margin of error.

It seems that the Impeachment procedure of President Trump may lend a hand to Sanders.  Just a thought

Web...

Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!" (Sir Walter Scott, 1808).

Bolton...

Megzit.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry reunited in Canada this week following Queen Elizabeth's approval of the so-called "Megxit," but the couple is already receiving pushback from their new neighbors.

Canadians are pleased to welcome the Duke and Duchess to Canada, but have made it crystal clear that taxpayers should not be forced to support them while they are living here,” said Wudrick. “All Canadians wish them well as they realize their ambition of financial independence.”

According to the outlet, it took just six days for 80,000 people to sign the request. It was brought to the desk of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the outlet said.

Andy...

When Gov. Andrew Cuomo pushed New York City Transit President Andy Byford out the closing doors, he also slammed them on the nearly 5.8 million of us who use the subway every day.

Byford wasn’t here long enough to completely turn around the failing system  although he made a huge difference in his less than two years on the job. On the other hand, Cuomo  a self-proclaimed “car guy” with little interest in mass transit  has been governor long enough for us to know what to expect from him when an agency head overshadows his own imagined glory: namely, the boot.

Byford’s exit, prompted by Cuomo’s destructive MTA meddling, was inevitable. Rule No. 1 in New York state and city’s venomous politics: Don’t put your face ahead of the chief.

Public appearances by subordinates, especially on TV, guarantee that the governor or the mayor will either fire the transgressor or make him so miserable he’ll have no choice but to leave.

Warning...

The US Food and Drug Administration is giving the maker of Purell products a stern warning: Stop making unproven claims that over-the-counter hand sanitizers help eliminate Ebola, MRSA or the flu.

In a "warning letter" to Purell's parent, Gojo Industries, the agency called out the company for making numerous marketing claims that potentially position its sanitizing products as a pharmaceutical drug rather than an over-the-counter topical antiseptic.

The letter from the agency's director of compliance cited numerous examples of what the FDA says are unproven claims for Purell products made on gojo.com, purell.com, and social media accounts for the brand.

Bryant...