Trump: Skating on Thin Ice

Now that waking up with Matt Lauer or hearing Garrison Keillor talk about Lake Wobegon on the radio are no longer options, due to their respective managements determining that they were taking too many liberties with the female help, we should never again question the legitimacy of women who complain about being harassed by powerful men.  Even if your name is President Donald Trump.

As the President was doubting the legitimacy of the "Access Hollywood" audio that nearly sank his campaign (Billy Bush, whose TV career had already sunk because of it, tells us it's all true), he went ahead and endorsed Roy Moore, an accused pedophile who's running for Alabama's U.S. Senate seat in a special election next week.  The Republicans, in spite of their initial skittishness over associating with such a man, seem to be willing to ignore Moore's baggage just so they could keep their margin of control in the Senate.

That margin of control could make the difference for the major tax reform the GOP so desperately wants, which is essentially a "reverse Robin Hood" package that gives tax breaks to corporations and other rich folks and steals from the poor in tax hikes.  The Senate passed its version in the middle of the night, leaving little time for letting anyone read the lengthy bill, let alone understand it.  The President will be more than happy to sign the final version of the bill as soon as the House and Senate agree on what's going in it.  This would be the most significant (and only) legislative victory since Trump took office, and one the GOP hopes will convince voters to give them another chance in 2018.

But there are storm clouds ahead.  Robert Mueller's investigation of Trump's ties with the Russian government over any alleged tinkering with the 2016 election has just nabbed Michael Flynn.  The former national security adviser pleaded guilty to charges of lying to the FBI and Vice President Mike Pence about conversations with Russian officials, and is cooperating with the investigation.

The deliberateness of Mueller's investigation thus far has led to questions about whether Trump will actually get caught.  He could try to derail the matter by firing Mueller, or he could pardon many of those in his family or inner circle, including himself.  And, like Moore, the GOP is willing to look the other way.  If all else fails, then blame Hillary Clinton.

The President also has to worry about the long term job statuses of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, with whom he's had disagreements with in the past.

Then there's North Korea.  They just launched a test missile that they say could reach anywhere in the United States.  It doesn't have a nuclear device, but that's coming.  If Trump wants to avoid war with Kim Jong-un, he's going to have to tamp down the saber rattling and hope diplomacy works.

One more thing:  If Russia doesn't prove to be Trump's eventual downfall, is it possible that there's a woman out there who's brave enough to pin "very bad things" (as he might term it) on the President?  If that woman exists, she might very well send Trump to the same scrap heap as Lauer, Keillor and countless others.

Oh wait . . .