It's a new month ... well, it's almost half over, but it's still "new" for our present purpose, which is the selection and announcement of
The Right-Cheek Ass Clown for September, 2018
From the dishearteningly large pool of prospective awardees, I believe that one stands out for this period, and so I present the award to
An Anonymous Senior Official
in the
Trump Administration
Unless you have been living in a remote cave in the Gobi Desert for the last week or two, you know that the Trump administration has been thrown into a tizzy by the publication of a scathing op-ed article in the New York Times - attributed to "A Senior Official in the Trump Administration" - about resistance to Donald Trump by his own political appointees.
I have decided to present the award to this anonymous official because he (or she) has taken the coward's way out. It is one thing to oppose the actions of the administration on principle, but it is quite another to throw out accusations and hide behind a cloak of anonymity while still maintaining that "many of its policies have already made America safer and more prosperous."
A senior administration official who sincerely believed that Donald Trump is an unfit president would have better served the nation and the presidency by standing up, making his (or her) accusations clearly, and resigning. By hiding behind a cloak of anonymity, the individual simply gives Donald Trump a golden opportunity to rail about the "deep state," enrage his base, and deflect attention away from his actions which are damaging the long-term interests of the United States and its standing in the world.
The identity of the anonymous writer will eventually be revealed. Unfortunately, the disastrous Trump presidency will go on, brushing aside the writer's concerns - and those of everyone else - like so many annoying gnats.
Have a good day. Expect better from the administration, but don't get your hopes too high.
More thoughts tomorrow, when Cartoon Saturday returns.
Bilbo
You put it so well = Anonymous did not help things a bit. An Ass Clown, indeed!
ReplyDeleteWhoever that person is, he's demonstrated that he's an untrustworthy clown.
ReplyDeleteThe person is going to lose their job eventually anyway. They could have gone out with their head held high. And a book. And the talk show circuit.
ReplyDeleteI think s/he thinks this is helping the country, by saying to citizens that there are adults in the room trying to hold back the tide of crazy. It doesn't, in the end. As you say, helping would be to stand up and be heard. When found out, there will still be a book deal, I'm sure. I wondered how to refer to this individual and saw the Watergate twist name of Deep Tweet. I like it but it minimizes the seriousness of the matter.
ReplyDelete