Sen. John McCain, who is still battling brain cancer at his home in Arizona, blasted President Donald Trump’s press conference with Vladimir Putin. McCain’s full statement:
Today’s press conference in Helsinki was one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory. The damage inflicted by President Trump’s naiveté, egotism, false equivalence, and sympathy for autocrats is difficult to calculate. But it is clear that the summit in Helsinki was a tragic mistake.
President Trump proved not only unable, but unwilling to stand up to Putin. He and Putin seemed to be speaking from the same script as the president made a conscious choice to defend a tyrant against the fair questions of a free press, and to grant Putin an uncontested platform to spew propaganda and lies to the world.
It is tempting to describe the press conference as a pathetic rout – as an illustration of the perils of under-preparation and inexperience. But these were not the errant tweets of a novice politician. These were the deliberate choices of a president who seems determined to realize his delusions of a warm relationship with Putin’s regime without any regard for the true nature of his rule, his violent disregard for the sovereignty of his neighbors, his complicity in the slaughter of the Syrian people, his violation of international treaties, and his assault on democratic institutions throughout the world.
Coming close on the heels of President Trump’s bombastic and erratic conduct towards our closest friends and allies in Brussels and Britain, today’s press conference marks a recent low point in the history of the American Presidency. That the president was attended in Helsinki by a team of competent and patriotic advisors makes his blunders and capitulations all the more painful and inexplicable.
No prior president has ever abased himself more abjectly before a tyrant. Not only did President Trump fail to speak the truth about an adversary; but speaking for America to the world, our president failed to defend all that makes us who we are—a republic of free people dedicated to the cause of liberty at home and abroad. American presidents must be the champions of that cause if it is to succeed. Americans are waiting and hoping for President Trump to embrace that sacred responsibility. One can only hope they are not waiting totally in vain.
Retiring Sen. Jeff Flake was more succinct on Twitter:
But will either McCain or Flake do anything about it?
This article appears in Jul 12-18, 2018.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, right or wrong – is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
–Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919)
“I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
— Oath of the President of the United States of America
“Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.”
— United States Code at 18 U.S.C. 2381
Have you heard about the deal Obama gave Iran? You folks are demented.
Sigh. Why does every defense of President Trump always begin with, “but what about-isms”?
What about what Obama did with blah, blah, blah?
What about what Clinton did with blah, blah, blah?
That isn’t a defense. In fact it’s completely pointless. I strongly invite a defense of President Trump but it needs to defend his actions without saying “but what about” and comparing something to someone else.
If a person steals something and gets caught, is it a viable defense to say but what about bank robbers?
Please do share a defense, but make it an actual defense without these “what about-isms”. I could have defended Obama by saying “but what about cookies, they’re pretty tasty”. That may be true, and may distract the easily distractable, but it’s not a defense.
I think the “what about isms” happen because the media ignores those they support and objectivity is all but dead. Their actions or better yet inactions help create Fox News. As a country our citizens do not understand the complexity of the real issues, they simply chase the party that promises relief from the other.
What happened to the art of negotiation?
Senators McCain and Flake should be Commended for their Unvarnished Criticism of Donald Trump following his meeting with his Friend and Mentor, the Thug Putin!!
Republicans in the Congress should put Party Politics aside and have the courage to follow Senator McCain’s and Senator Flake’s lead!!…putting the Health/Welfare of our Country as their First
and Only Consideration!!
Donald Trump’s denigration of anyone that disagrees with him and
his characterization of information about him in the Press as “fake news” are symptomatic of: an Unstable Personality and an intentional effort to undermine the underpinning of our Democracy;
Free Speech and a Free Press.
Any Objective Analysis of the Facts clearly indicates that: Donald Trump is a Racist Neo Nazi, an Inveterate Liar, and Mentally Unstable. He is a threat to our Constitutionally Protected Freedoms
and Nationally Security, and, as such, he MUST be Removed from
Office Forthwith!!!
The Constitution of the United States provides the following for the removal of Donald Trump:
Article II, Section 4; 25th Amendment, section 4; and the 2nd
Amendment.
Regarding Trump and his Republican Supports in Congress: “All should appreciate the FBI speaking up. I wish more of our leaders would. But take heart: American history shows that, in the long
run, weasels and liars never hold the field, so long as good people
stand up. Not a lot of schools or streets named for Joe McCarthy.” Former FBI director James Comey.
Francis – “Any Objective Analysis of the Facts”….. what are these facts that we are supposed to objectively analyze?
As afar as what=isms from earlier, this from liberal fact checker SNOPES, “This is my last election After my election I have more flexibility, Obama said, expressing confidence that he would win a second term.
I will transmit this information to Vladimir, said Medvedev, Putins protg and long considered number two in Moscows power structure.”
Who committed the greater error?
It would be nice to have the Democrats come up with something better than ‘abolish ICE’ as a part of a party platform. They’ve not displayed much else to run on other than ‘we ain’t Trump’
What we don’t know is what happened in the meeting with Putin because the White House has nothing, nada, zip to report to American citizens.
Meanwhile, Russian reports, positions and obvious policies are coming out in a stream.
Trump is playing checkers; Putin is playing Grand Theft Auto.