Just as I predicted BEFORE the IMPEACHMENT “trial” of individual 1 began Moscow Mitch would find a way to PROTECT our so-called president from being forced to listen to “first hand” witnesses of his SHAKEDOWN of Ukraine’s newly elected president Zelensky. It’s a couple days before the vote on whether or not witnesses (and documents) will be subpoenaed – so that ALL the available information would be before the Senate prior to them voting to – as we all know will happen, one way or the other – acquit individual 1 of his ILLEGAL behavior. I (along with many others) also pointed out the EVIDENCE will find it’s way into the public sphere regardless of this (somewhat) meaningless vote. (My hope was to extend the “trial” for at least another week – past the State of the Union diatribe)

Here’s the other thing which I read about today and I also expected. Individual 1 is, as he’s done with other books, attempting to quash the publication of John Bolton’s book – which is going to be very uncomfortable for our “dear leader” – as Bolton’s credentials are strong with many right wing republicans. Personally, I’m no fan of Mr. Bolton (read a bit about the Iraq invasion circa 2003) but I’ll likely purchase his book. He was right there while many of the destructive decisions of individual 1 (Not only this Ukraine fiasco, but think of the Kurds in Northern Syria) were “coming down.” He can “educate” we the people not only about individual 1’s IGNORANCE but also, the process which goes into his decision-making – which SHOULD be a “red flag” to ALL Americans!

Here’s one of my main thoughts tonight: individual 1 has “tweeted” enough FEAR into the republicans in the Senate to block witnesses from being part of the “trial” – despite 75% of Americans wanting to hear from first hand witnesses (This SHOULD lead to several republican Senators losing their re-election bids) – but, he’s also, now, determined to BLOCK the publication of Bolton’s book. Will individual 1 succeed at CENSORING Bolton’s first hand KNOWLEDGE of the TRUTH behind his EXTORTION of president Zelensky? Stay tuned…..

When you think about it – there’s a lot of precedents “on the line” here. First, it’s likely the Senate republicans will put their “stamp of approval” on individual 1’s criminal behavior in office. Allen Dershowitz claimed “If the president believes his actions are for the national interest, which would include being re-elected, it’s NOT impeachable.” So, if individual 1 actually DID “shoot someone on 5th Avenue in New York” and claimed he did it for the national interest it wouldn’t be impeachable behavior, according to Dershowitz! Honestly, as many predicted, the supporters of our so-called president got a bit bizarre in their defense of his actions. The bottom line is they’re approving this behavior for time immemorial! (Dershowitz was beyond BIZARRE in my view)

Of course, I knew they were not going to CONVICT individual 1 from the outset. But, they COULD have actually focused their “defense” on the actual conduct in question and argued that the conduct was inappropriate and deserved something like a censure, but didn’t rise to the level of IMPEACHMENT and removal from office. They could have found some kind of way to voice displeasure with what our so-called president actually did – which, by the way, was CLEARLY illegal! The bottom line is they’ve chosen to endorse what IS clearly ILLEGAL behavior for the next democratic president – who, personally, I would hope the democratic House would ALSO impeach, should whoever is elected after individual 1 does this same CRAP!

President Obama predicted the intrusion of foreign MONEY (which easily can be connected to the Russian interference FOR individual 1 in 2016) resulting from the OUTRAGEOUS “Citizens United” Supreme Court decision (by the way, led by Justice Roberts) shortly after the decision came down, I believe, in 2009. Obama was absolutely correct, and now we have a republican Senate which is going to put its “stamp of approval” for soliciting aid from foreign governments in our election process into the future. That’s what precedents do – they lead to a continuation, and usually worse, of the behavior in question. (Or, they STOP the behavior IF that behavior receives proper accountability – like, in this instance, some kind of sanction – even if it’s short of removal from office)

And, looking the other way from the Article of “Obstruction of Congress” is the Senate, itself, saying it’s OK to refuse to honor requests for documents and witness testimony. They’ve, in effect, enabled the phantom use of something called “absolute immunity.” Yikes!!! Honestly, I’ve been watching (by most accounts what would be considered “closely”) politics since I graduated from high school in 1965, and I’ve NEVER seen anything like what is happening in this IMPEACHMENT trial. I found it interesting to listen to Lamar Alexander yesterday when he justified his vote to BLOCK witnesses by saying something like, “The House managers have proven their case and we don’t need to hear from anyone else.” That logic was really puzzling to me, unless Alexander would then say he’s ready to vote for a conviction. (Which, we all know is NOT the case)

Most of what I’ve heard during the time I’ve been able to force myself to watch this proceeding has focused on individual 1’s EXTORTION of the Ukrainians, but I happen to believe the OBSTRUCTION of Congress may be the MORE significant issue. For example, “absolute immunity?” What the hell is that? Is the Senate willing to put that absurd excuse for a (so-called) president to BLOCK any oversight from Congress (including, of course, the Senate) as precedent for the future? Evidently, the answer is yes! The thought of what that means makes my mind spin out of control.

Just try to imagine, if all the CHEATING individual 1 is GOING to do in order to “win” the next election actually works, (as my friend who supports him is predicting) what lies ahead? Do you really believe individual 1 will temper his autocratic tendencies if there’s NO avenue for OVERSIGHT? If this doesn’t get the attention of the American people, well, we deserve what we get. I can guarantee you, our friends in Western Europe are on the edge of their seats wondering what is going to happen in November. They are aghast at what has been the result of the Russians inserting individual 1 into the “White House.” They’re laughing in Moscow!

And, by the way, as I’ve written in the past few days, please read “From Russia with Blood” by Heidi Blake if you want to understand Vladimir Putin, the world leader individual 1 seems to idolize. Do you really believe the Russians aren’t attacking “we the people” as I’m writing this? Do you really believe they won’t be doing whatever they can to keep individual 1 as their “useful idiot” for as long as they can? I believe, as I’ve said before, they’ve corrupted members of the Senate (ie McConnell, Graham, and Rubio and maybe others) by finding ways to funnel their MONEY into the “coffers” of these republicans – providing what the Russians call “kompromat.”

If I’m correct – meaning, if the book I read this in is correct – the Russian ATTACK into American politics is well beyond what is publicly known. Here’s what I believe the Senate republicans will accomplish when they vote to stop the IMPEACHMENT trial prior to allowing the testimony of people like Bolton, the people at OMB who participated in the blocking of the aid to Ukraine, and maybe more importantly Lev Parnos who KNOWS “where the bodies are buried.” His lawyer, today, released a letter he sent to Moscow Mitch, with Parnos offering to testify, where he implicated a BUNCH of people in individual 1’s administration: like, for example, beyond our so-called president, Mike Pense, Mike Pompeo, Mick Mulvaney, Rudy Giuliani, William Barr, individual 1’s counsel Pat Cipollone, Rick Perry, Devin Nunez and Nunez’ associate (I believe his last name is Harvey), and others who, hopefully, will face accountability after next January 20th. (It seems to me Cipollone SHOULD be facing integrity accountability from the Bar – was he part of this conspiracy to EXTORT the Ukrainians????)

As I’m writing this I’m listening to individual 1’s lawyer defending their position they don’t want to hear from John Bolton and, via inference, he’s suggesting should the Senate vote to call witnesses and should Bolton be called individual 1 would continue to OBSTRUCT and he’d “invoke” his mysterious “absolute immunity” privilege dragging the process out indefinitely. His argument seems a bit circular to me – like if an IMPEACHMENT trial is prolonged it would be “hanging over the head of the president” at the same time he’s saying if Bolton is called they will cause the “trial” to be dragged out. The bottom line: individual 1 is going to do everything he can to make sure John Bolton is NEVER heard – at least prior to the next election. I keep thinking of “From Russia with Blood” – if this was actually Russia, Mr. Bolton would need 24/7 protection and he’d need to be careful of what he would touch or drink.

Right now, Jay Sekulow is laying out what would be my dream scenario in this procedure. He’s suggesting if witnesses are called they will call ALL of the witnesses who appeared in the House IMPEACHMENT inquiry so they can “cross examine them.” Oh my God! Please, lets get it on! I would love to listen to Sekulow cross examine, for example, Fiona Hill or Ambassador Taylor, or Colonel Vindman and ALL the others. Our so-called president’s legal team is desperate to make sure Bolton does NOT appear before this proceeding. And, I’m sure, they would HATE to hear from Lev Parnos almost as much as Ambassador Bolton. Republicans, originally, claimed the witnesses were not direct “fact” witnesses – so, now when Bolton has agreed to testify, they DON’T want actual “fact” witnesses. (And, by the way, based on information leaked to the NY Times today, Pat Cipollone appears to be an actual “fact witness.” OMG reminds me of Devin Nunes in the original IMPEACHMENT inquiry)

Here’s a huge irony here. These Senators refer to themselves as the ‘world’s greatest deliberative body.” My only thought is “Are you kidding me?” Deliberative? Come on, how many Americans are even paying some kind of attention? The Senate goes as Moscow Mitch wants it to go – his republican caucus is like a herd of sheep and they operate via McConnell as the conduit to the wishes of individual 1. There are something close to 300 bills simply sitting at the foot of Moscow Mitch’s desk. And, the reports coming from this IMPEACHMENT “trial” give a picture of republicans pretty much tuned out of the presentation by the House managers. “Deliberative?” And, blocking evidence from the process. “Deliberative?” This Senate is anything BUT a deliberative body!

As many have said, the EVIDENCE is going to come out – and, it appears, it’s already coming out and likely will be coming out in an avalanche of INCRIMINATING evidence for individual 1. He works “by the seat of his pants” and lives by “today is more important than tomorrow.” His lack of seeing the “long term” has been one of the most frustrating parts of watching him turn America toward second rate status around the world – not to mention, the divisions he propagates on an almost daily basis in the “homeland.” Take for example, off the top of my head, the Paris Climate Accords, the Iran Nuclear Agreement, the “Muslim ban,” the separating children (sometimes permanently) from their parents at the border, etc.

All this leads me, AGAIN, to point out the significance of the 2020 election. We KNOW the republicans will CHEAT in order to “win” this next election – I’m sure they’re already busy trying to turn democrats against each other – “moderates” v “progressives” via Facebook and other social media outlets they’ve mastered at “bombing” with misinformation. (Read “Mindf*ck” – that’s actually the book’s title – by Chris Wiley to learn about the Facebook data they possess – somewhere – Yes, Cambridge Analytica is no more, but they’ve still got the data – think Steve Bannon) The solution to what is happening in the Senate as I’m writing this is a MASSIVE turnout at the polls in 2020. Especially for our young people who have SO much at stake, not the least of which is individual 1 being a climate change denier who’s obliterating every environmental protection he can. (And, of course, much, much more)

Final Thought: The only reason I wasn’t in a state of disbelief as to where the republican party emphasized where they’re at during this (non) “trial” is because I’ve been watching this devolvement for 40+ years. It’s just hard to intellectually process the difference from the Reagan scams and those we’re seeing today. What we see is how every time they “get away” with some kind of “norm busting” behavior they make it worse the “next time.” That SHOULD cause you to realize how important this next election is. I’ve been saying for over 10 years the republicans are at WAR with the heart and soul of this nation and they will do whatever they can to protect their access to POWER. They’ve been ROBBING our treasury, for the benefit of their benefactors (donors) since Reagan FOOLED Americans to believe his “trickle down” (trickle UP – from my viewpoint) theory of funneling taxpayer dollars to America’s wealthiest citizens.

One last thing: After the Senate votes to acquit next week we will all be led to wonder, if breaking (at least) two laws (The Federal Election restriction on soliciting ANY thing of value from a foreign nation – or individual AND the ILLEGAL blocking of the aid to Ukraine) not to mention ALL the examples of OBSTRUCTION of Congress – in this case, and OBSTRUCTION of Justice in the Mueller report (10 instances) – we’ll have to wonder what on earth would be IMPEACHABLE? I’ve been lobbying for “we the people” to vote these republicans into the history books for, as I said above, for over 10 years. Well, to the 2020 voters I say it’s “now or never.” If we don’t stand up to this egregious assault on America’s “rule of law” in November I fear what they will be able to embed in our future. Yikes!!