I guess one of the benefits
of having an Attorney General who introduces the Mueller Report by claiming
that there is nothing to see here is that the first impression is that there
is, indeed, nothing to see. But...
I remember the U.S.
invasion of Iraq with the toppling of statues to Saddam Hussein and American
tanks in the streets of Baghdad. And, of course, there was the indelible
image of the U.S. President, George W Bush, standing on a battle ship under a huge
banner that said "Mission Accomplished" basking in the glow of
triumph and surrounded by admiring military.
Well. How did that
turn out? All he did was boldly emphasize that the Mission Was Not
Accomplished. The war lasted about a
decade and still isn't really over. That "Mission Accomplished"
moment turned out to be a bad choice on the part of W. It was just
started, and nothing was accomplished.
So too for our current
president and all the president's sycophants. As soon as Barr said that
the Mueller Report blessed his president, Trump leaped forward to claim
exoneration (against the actual words of the report itself as far as
obstruction of justice is concerned).
But the report is over 400
pages long. It says the same things that the Trump books which exposed
the Trump White House has always said - Trump commands his subordinates to
obstruct justice, reaches out to get help from the hostile foreign power -
Russia, ignores and tramples over laws and norms, behaves like a nine year old’s
version of a king, and trashes the very concept of America endlessly.
Michael Wolff's "Fire
and Fury" said it. Bob Woodward's "Fear: Trump in the White
House" said it. Now, it is time to read the Mueller Report. It
says the same thing, with the enormous authority of 22 months of sworn
testimony and records to substantiate it.
No Collusion? No
Obstruction? Congress will hold hearings with the testimonies of Barr,
Mueller, McGahn and perhaps others. Trump and the Reps want to say that
there is nothing to see here. They say don't drag their leader through
the mud - mud? is there mud? Golly gee. I wonder?
Maybe Trump escapes
impeachment. But his mud is on very plain view.
