The testimony from the hearings...

[johnny9fingers]

Provides us with some insight into the recent workings of the White House.

www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/07/ukraine-crisis-put-on-ice-by-trump-staff-busy-working-out-how-to-buy-greenland

So it appears that the quid pro quo required by the Ukraine’s leaders got moved to the back burner when the Greenland purchase hove into view. (A sentence with a grammatical construction built to reflect the sort of mixed chaoticism which it is attempting to describe.)

All this is painting a picture of a remarkably dysfunctional administration. So my first question to Republican-leaning folk is: do you find this tolerable? You have a majority where it counts, in the Senate and SCOTUS, and Trump can avoid impeachment leading to his removal easily given the numbers. But you have a president who behaves openly in violation of various constitutional restrictions on his office. And you chaps will give him a second term. Or will you?

My second question is, what would it take to remove Trump from office, given he will likely get away with all of his previous shenanigans?

(Of course, this is all displacement activity on my part; we’ve gone mad over here, so looking outward is often better than contemplating the foulness of our own nest.)

Answers on a postcard to the usual address. Original work will not be returned. Bonus points for making the judges smile, faint, burst an aneurysm, or go into cardiac arrest.

To hell with Mike

[luzribeiro]

It would appear that Pompeo's singular goal of being loyal to Trump at all costs has not gone over well at the State Department. From lying to the American people over the Ukraine scandal, to effectively sacrificing his own people to Trump... for some bizarre reason, he is not seen as a credible leader.

Pompeo has lost confidence at State amid impeachment probe

Pompeo claims he didn't know what his boss was doing was a quid pro quo, or that his boss was privately making up diplomatic policies on behalf of the US. Given that his job includes watching out for these sort of thing, and avoid that sort of people, this is pretty sad.

I can see people not wanting to work under him in the near future. Maybe he can go on Dancing with the Stars in a few years and rehabilitate his public image. Or something.

Btw, there seems to be some speculation that Pompeo might quit his day job to run for Senator from Kansas. The state department employees are "praying" that he does. I say "praying" because apparently Pompeo has been using his position to promote his religious beliefs. Aside from proclaiming himself a "Christian leader" on the State Dept.'s website home page... he believes that Trump was "divinely" chosen to protect Israel from Iran." So I'd say he better get out ASAP.