By DAVID "DANIEL" BEILSTEINWAVERLY, Ohio -- Attorney General William Barr has released his summary of the Mueller probe report and has exonerated President Trump of the principal question in a two year investigation: No collusion with Russia.
When it comes to Obstruction of the Justice, Barr quotes from the report, saying Mueller could not come to a decision, leaving it up to the attorney general.
If Robert Mueller thought he was going to get an obstruction of justice charge against the president for firing James Comey, he had another thing coming.
The president - even this one - has the full power and scope of his constitutional duties (including his Article II powers) and firing the FBI director was one of them. Nor did President Trump’s firing of Comey “obstruct” any evidence, or investigation.
The Russian Collusion investigation continued unabated, without ceasing, for 22 months and millions of tax payer dollars. It is also pretty clear from pundits who have been right all along - see Havard Law Professor, Emeritis Alan Dershowitz - the president cannot be charged with a crime while in office.
First, the president must be impeached, then removed from office. Enter Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, Representative Jerrold Nadler, of New York, who’s still huffing and puffing about collusion, obstruction, and any numerous other invented crimes he can try to ensnare the President in through his committe chair.
I say, for the good of the country, the good of the Democrat Party, Jerry; for the good of political parties generally, wrap it up, Jerry, and get on with the business of preparing alongside your party to beat Mr. Trump in 2020 on the merits.
Let us remember, the Democrats did not win back the House of Representatives prattling on ala Jerry Nadler, but quite the opposite. They talked healthcare, for the most part rejecting impeachment and collusion verse, and enacting sound public policy for all Americans. Let the people decide whether the Democrats were serious or not - or simply hoping something would come of the Mueller report. But it didn’t. So, move on, Democrats. And, maybe put a muzzle around the now svelte representative Nadler.
Let us remember, the Democrats did not win back the House of Representatives prattling on ala Jerry Nadler, but quite the opposite. They talked healthcare, for the most part rejecting impeachment and collusion verse, and enacting sound public policy for all Americans. Let the people decide whether the Democrats were serious or not - or simply hoping something would come of the Mueller report. But it didn’t. So, move on, Democrats. And, maybe put a muzzle around the now svelte representative Nadler.
It should not be hard to do, given how much Democrats have bullhorned everyone about how awful this president is, and with how historically unpopular he is. Right?
Now, looking back toward the 2016 election, and the Democrats and media not learning their lesson; then diving headlong into another grevious error with their Russia-Collusion obesession, I’m not sure we can hope they will reform and repent, and change course.
The partisanship and hate for this president is far too deep, it seems. And it might be helpful to ask why? Part of it, I believe, is the power of this government is so out of control, one party’s assent to the presidency means hell for half of the other part of the country.
A mentality exists that if Barack Obama is president, one half of the country’s values, culture, ideals, are under assault - if Donald Trump wins, the other half’s are.
On top of that, more and more, the national media demands the entire country be forced into a cultural uniformity that is not only unnatrual to the people we are, but our republican system - Federalism. So, that the most amount of people can live as they desire, rowing their boats in what direction seems right to them within their liberties.
The neglect of these virtues, by we the people, the media, and our elected officials has been a terrible way to do our politics, but we are there. Constitutionally, it was never meant to be that way - if it even matters to mention it.
The president is chief of the Executive Branch of the federal government. His power, and the power of the federal government limited; and fractured among two other branches of government for a reason.
But all too often, during presidential campaigns, ideas, public policy prospals, are all encompassing, and therefore effecting of everyone’s life. Federalism is ignored (unless politically convienent to one party or another) and this in turn makes government power the great grab-bag everyone wants. When they don’t get it, well, hence the fierce partisanship.
Elections begin to matter more and more, which is where we are today. Some cures? Bring back federalism, folks. Relearn our country’s old creeds that have not only served our individual and collective liberty, but also, good government: in essentials unity; in everything else, liberty and diversity.
The founders warned of us of having a king, or something like it - and our partisan excapapes - like this two year Mueller Probe - are the consequences of an American public on both sides of the aisles that seem more and more to want and demand a King (or something like it) rather than a president with enumerated, and limited constitutional powers.
With the Mueller probe report delivered, and the investigation over; we now move on to more and more investigations of a dully elected president whether one likes him or not.
And, as with all big government, rather than the passage of sound public policy that actually helps quality of life for a diverse population of Americans, we will continue to be embroiled in pointless, self-destructive, partisanship. It’s too bad.
While the Mueller report is a victory for this embattled president, at least in the short term, I’m not sure it’s a victory for these United States.