Bob Woodward's new book FEAR

[Dill]

(09-05-2018, 07:00 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: I'm guessing the timing of this is not coincidental: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/05/opinion/trump-white-house-anonymous-resistance.html


What do y'all think of this?

I know that many will cheer at this, if true, because according to this senior official they are keeping us away from disaster. I admit, the fact that our country maintains a steady path is one that I am happy with. However, I take issue with non-elected officials subverting the will of the elected one. Whether you voted for Trump or not, whether you like him, or whether you think he is a loathsome toad, this is an undermining of our democracy. It is not the responsibility of the bureaucrats to serve this function. It is the responsibility of Congress and the judiciary to check the Executive when they go off the rails.

I mentioned in the Kavanaugh thread that policy gets made up and down the ladder, which is 100% true. But those policies are created to carry out the policies of the elected officials. When the bureaucrats are creating policy that is counter to what the elected official orders, we are in a constitutional crisis.

I put this here because this op-ed piece says some of the same things that come out in the book, and this is a big issue.

Yes, we are in a constitutional crisis.

I would agree bureaucrats are not supposed to create policy, but the issue here concerns the sanity and competence of the commander in chief. These accusations regarding Trump's mental health are not coming not from Democrats and "leftists" but from inside the administration.  How often has that happened before? 

What is Mattis supposed to do if Trump calls him the morning and tells him to assassinate a world leader--an illegal order--then calls him in the afternoon and says "nevermind"? What if Trump has to be talked out of firing Sessions twice in one day and sends out public tweets about the "disloyalty" to HIM of people sworn to uphold the Constitution? The problem is Trump. The sooner more people recognize that and get him out, the better.

Were the other branches checking his power sufficiently, there would be less alarm. But Republicans in Congress, after doing their best to muddy the Russia investigation and protect Trump, are now trying to rush through a judicial nominee who would reduce checks on presidential power.  Right now this trumps (pun intended) the problem of bureaucrats making policy.