The Least Boy Scout

History of the Boy Scouts of America (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

"A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent"--Boy Scout law.

For decades, the Boy Scouts of America has invited nearly every President of the United States since Franklin Roosevelt to speak at its Jamboree, which is held every four years in West Virginia.  This year, it was Donald Trump's turn.

Most Presidents used their message to the Scouts to extol the virtues of patriotism, public service and the promise of a better future, not to discuss politics.  It wouldn't be appropriate for an audience who either couldn't vote yet, or just think it is so irrelevant to their lives.  Trump, as we all know, is not most Presidents.  He just had to go there.

In front of nearly 40,000, Trump bragged about how he won the election for the millionth time, ripped his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton and the "fake news" media, threatened his Health and Human Services secretary with his job if Obamacare isn't repealed, and made loyalty to him a priority.  Well, at least he got one part of the Scout law right.

Parents and former Eagle Scouts went wild.  This isn't the kind of thing you'd say to young people, even if you're the President.  Right?  Wrong.  This is Donald Trump we're talking about.  You can't count on him to stick to the script, let alone escort an old woman across the street without making a lewd remark.

The BSA, which has had its own public embarrassments over membership restrictions regarding gays and transgenders until they decided to let them in, has apologized for Trump's speech.  The organization, which says it's non-partisan, deserves a demerit badge for this one.

Here are other recent examples of Trump repeatedly violating Scout law:

• He tweeted an order banning transgenders from serving in the military, which is something that caught the Pentagon (and most everyone else) by surprise.  It came on the anniversary of when President Harry Truman in 1948 ordered the Armed Forces and other federal agencies to be desegregated.
• Letting his attorney general Jeff Sessions twist slowly in the wind because he recused himself from the Russian hacking probe, before he is eventually fired.  Special prosecutor Robert Mueller has, for all practical purposes, also been put on notice.  Meanwhile, the President is considering ways to pardon himself and his family should the worst happen.
• The White House media staff has been reshuffled with Anthony Scaramucci as the new communications director.  Press secretary Sean Spicer, who for months was in over his head and then mocked by Melissa McCarthy's impersonation of him on "Saturday Night Live", has been replaced by Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
• Trump has threatened to disown any Republican senator who dares to vote against repealing Obamacare.  So far, the Senate has voted down two proposals, and is considering another one as we speak.  That one's not looking so good, either.

There is one Boy Scout motto that applies not only to President Trump, but also to those who either work for him or cover him whenever he takes to Twitter, or says something outrageous in public.

That motto is:  Be Prepared.