The blowback from the revelation of Russian bounties on American servicemembers continues, with a flood of cartoons on the topic. Glad it’s early in the week, because there’s also a flood of other topics cresting.
I’m leading with Nick Anderson‘s because it not only riffs on the President’s arrogant assertion that his behavior doesn’t matter to his constituents — which may be true — but picks up on the utter diminishment of our standing in the world that allows Vladimir Putin to do whatever he likes with impunity.
Granted, paying people to kill Americans in Afghanistan is not the level of threat we faced when Nikita Khruschev placed nuclear missiles in Cuba, within striking range of the US.
So maybe it’s unfair to expect the same kind of swift, public, decisive response that we saw from JFK.
But imagine if the response now were a quiet, assured, “Oh, we know, and we’re handling it,” rather than a kill-the-messenger tirade from the press secretary about the press for having revealed it, and conflicting claims that (A) the President wasn’t briefed on the topic and (B) he’s “the most informed person on planet Earth when it comes to the threats that we face.”
Perhaps she meant that he is potentially the most well-informed, but that you can’t hold him accountable for failing to respond to this particular threat, upon which he was totally uninformed.
Which RJ Matson expresses in graphic format.
And a pause here for some shoptalk: Kayleigh McEnanny graduated with highest honors. She is intelligent, perceptive and well capable of processing information.
I faulted her the other day for appearing in that Bible photo op, but she hasn’t served in the position long and perhaps doesn’t know how stunningly unprofessional that was for a PR person. Fair enough.
But she’s certainly bright enough to know when she’s simply flakking for the party, putting loyalty above honesty and her paycheck above her patriotism. Playing the part of a ninny in the service of MAGA.
Someone on Twitter compared her to Ron Ziegler, but Ziegler, loyal as he was to Nixon, was a consummate professional and said what he had to say with, not exactly a conspiratorial wink, but a sense of “We both know I’m only doing my job.”
His NYTimes obituary explained it thus:
As the investigation into Watergate unraveled, Mr. Ziegler admitted that his previous statements had become ”inoperative.”
One writer, Christopher Lasch, noted in ”The Culture of Narcissism”: ”Many commentators assumed Ziegler was groping for a euphemistic way of saying that he had lied. What he meant, however, was that his earlier statements were no longer believable. Not their falsity but their inability to command assent rendered them ‘inoperative.’ The question of whether they were true or not was beside the point.’‘
That’s how you play fair to your employer while maintaining your credibility. You’re not there to be liked, but you do have to be respected.
You also have to do your job in a way that lets you look at your face in the mirror each morning, whether it’s to shave or to put on your make-up.
Even if your legacy inspires chuckles, it shouldn’t inspire contempt.
Now where the hell was I?
Steve Sack explains how the most informed person on the planet Earth gets spoonfed his information, which is why MagaNinny’s description of him is so insulting to the public: We have known this almost since he took office.
It has been repeated in the various insider books that have come out about him, starting back with “Fire and Fury,” published not quite a year after he took office.
It leaves him open to the sort of mockery Jeff Stahler offers here, which is only childish on the same level as any claims that the President is well-informed.
We know that Obama began the day early and went through his briefing papers over his morning coffee, preparing to pepper his staff with questions as soon as their working day began.
And we know that Trump sits up in his bedroom watching television nearly until noon, then drifts down and is only briefed to the extent his wandering attention allows.
It’s not a matter of political bias but a case of accurate reporting: Despite his remaining loyalists claiming he works hard, a simple comparison of Fox & Friends coverage and the timing of his Twitter rants shows he was watching TV when the other grownups were at their desks.
If you fault Stahler for portraying him as a simpleton, how do you categorize the image he willingly projects of himself?
And it’s a great deal less chilling than this
Juxtaposition of the Day
Which, of course, brings to mind this exchange from the 2016 Presidential Debates:
Note that Dear Leader still denies Russian interference, dismissing it as the “Russian Hoax,” rather than suggesting that it was ineffective.
It never happened.
His enemies invented it.
Probably when they were down in the galley, eating all his strawberries.
And now for something completely different:
I wish this were formatted so I could simply embed it, but go have a listen, because Deshaun Watson doesn’t simply explain how the NFL players created that groundbreaking video, and how he and fellow Clemson alum DeAndre Hopkins started a movement that stripped John Calhoun’s name from their campus, but addresses how other prominent young superstars have begun to step forward and take risks with their careers because other things matter a whole lot more.
Another sign of a rising generation who won’t shut up and behave themselves.
Another reason to believe, and we could use some of those about now.
Clinton was right, but (roots feverishly for something, anything in the “not an angel” file) her emails. And the mustard. I know that was Obama, but she failed to condemn it at the time.
„ And a pause here for some shoptalk: Kayleigh McEnanny graduated with highest honors. She is intelligent, perceptive and well capable of processing information.
I faulted her the other day for appearing in that Bible photo op, but she hasn’t served in the position long and perhaps doesn’t know how stunningly unprofessional that was for a PR person. Fair enough.
But she’s certainly bright enough to know when she’s simply flakking for the party, putting loyalty above honesty and her paycheck above her patriotism. Playing the part of a ninny in the service of MAGA.“
This quote is so well-written and explanatory! I agree with every word, and have felt the same way since seeing Kayleigh McEnany on CNN years ago. Perhaps this commentary will enlighten others or persuade some readers as to the truth of this analysis.
Using actual words to describe somebody’s faults is much more convincing than purposely misspelling her name.
“Playing the part of a ninny in the service of MAGA.”
Well played. sir, well played.
Loved the “Caine Mutiny” reference. You should’ve used that for the video clip. Maybe Trump will do a “Lonesome Rhodes” meltdown in November. That would be a sight to see!
The whole issue is rediculous and not worth anyone’s time. What, you are surprised? If true what are you going do about it hot shots? The Russians no longer hold any US Treasuries, have their own oil, and good care less if we all drop dead (probably wish we all Americans would, they could then come drill our oil too). How does thecsaying go: Change the things you can, don,’t spend time on the things you can not..or something along those lines. True or not, it is pointless waste of time as is the issue of election interference (what, you thought they were backward and don’t know about the interner?) Russian is imperialistic power, hello?! They are big boys and Putin is right to laugh at us, a silly childish bunch indeed. Get real.
What will we do about it, Steve? Well, the cartoonists will keep us laughing instead of crying, or worse. And then November comes, and we vote Trump out of office. Beyond that I can only guess, but I’ve a feeling there will be consequences, especially for The Donald. He and his cronies will no longer enjoy the protection of their offices, so we’ll see what legal actions are awaiting them. Or worse.