some guy, welcome? so the commentary magazine podcast today is, may eleventh twenty seventeen, I'm John Podhoretz words the editor of Commentary, me, as always, nor often are associate Elinor high. I John and a green while senior editor high Abe John, commentary magazine the seventy two year old, monthly of intellectual probity, cultural analysis, pull examination from a conservative perspective. Please join us a commentary magazine dot com where we give you a few free reads and then ask you to pay one thousand nine hundred and ninety five for a digital

scripture and twenty nine. Ninety five gets you in all access subscription, including. Four monthly magazine in your mailbox eleven times a year. We are closing our June issue this week with many wonder full glorious things for you to read next week when the issue comes on line, and maybe the week after when it comes into your mailbox. So I will be talking about some of that next week, including the lead article by a green Walled on the question of the furtherance and future of the free world. But before we get the furtherance in future, the free world. We need to examine. The current condition of the leader of the free world. I e the United States, I E Donald Trump who fired the FBI director on Monday or Tuesday. Now, now. I can't even keep trams date is ice oh tired, it's been sits been so it's has even been the full forty eight hours, and it feels like it's been

a month and a half. So I had to think sane and we're gonna just like go into every part. Will detail this, and this is what we're talking about a pike as one is tramples within his right, constitutional rights and obligations, his even his flighty likes and dislikes to fire James Commie, who is an underling in the executive branch. The president has the authority to fire, for whatever reason he wishes. He serves at the pleasure of the president, even though he was confirmed by the Senate it was a fight at the beginning of the United States. About whether out the president would have the right to dismiss people whom the Senate had confirmed and the president's secured that right in the late seventeen nineties and has never sir you're dead. So the idea that there is anything illegitimate in the president firing an FBI directorate needs to be got rid of right there. Now

reasons that you far the affair director, maybe problematic, but that he has the right to do so and the Institutional authority do so are not only beyond question, but anybody who has led you to think otherwise, is, is either a con man or an idiot or a crazy person. So you need to keep that in mind. Secondly, as I've said ten thousand times on this package, James can we deserve to be fired. His behaviour in July and October of twenty. Sixteen was inappropriate and indefensible in leaf in in his insertion of him of into the presidential election campaign, particularly since he cast a shadow on Hillary Clinton, even as he was exonerating her in the sense that he said the cheek face? No, she should face no criminal charges for her handling of mishandling of classified information

but before he said that he wanted to five minutes about how our handling of classified information was reckless and dangerous and awful not the way we want are the people with whom we invest investigative and prosecutors, powers to behave. They have too much power if they are free to go into detail about what people do when they decide, and they determine that the person in question did not commit an offence that rose the level of a criminal indictment, the breaching of that is a very dangerous precedent. We'll see that in the months and years to come, because once you open that Pandora's box, it's almost impossible to close it for ambitious people who want to make Hey out of something or other knows the two points here,

Make a new free to disagree with them and hopefully they will have to make them again, because this story will move on from there. So the story now to simply has to do with the grounds on which Trump fired him. The case that from made for firing James call me and whether or not to be hit, whether not trumps behaviour deserves to be considered rising to the level of aid, political or even a constitutional crisis. I think we can say a run off the bat that it doesn't rice level the constitutional crisis, because he can fire anybody wants to in the executive branch. We can say that it has already risen to live.

Of a political crisis, but we can't say is whether political crisis is evanescent. It'll end this week, things move on or whether we are seeing the last three months of the presidency. Now will now. You know that some of them. We enduring issues that started really in October and November and December about the behaviour of the two, transition team towards Russia and the continuing discussion of Russia and the campaign and russian Tromp and Russian Michael Flynn has fired national scary director in Russia and Paul afford his fired hey Manager, Russian Carter Pages, somewhat haphazard adviser on foreign policy for tears?

whether all that has now come to like fruition, and the Democrats open, yelling and threw me about her and having to be joined by Republicans, who will simply feel as though they need to make sure that nothing really horrible is going on here. That will take the party down there, their jobs and their party down with Abe are we how serious the crisis? Well, I think it nor arguable that the crisis in terms of optics is, deeply serious for fur trump and and that this has reached. Fuelled all the speculation and and and all the outrage about that the rush investigation about and about his conduct. How serious the actual political crisis is in terms of his motivations. I don't think we know yet, and I think the way these Lorries have been unfolding regarding him. You need to wait, May

if you start getting a picture of things around the third or fourth generation, and that's that's, that's the reporting, that's not even just the opinion pieces I mean So who knows it looks absolutely terrible, but there's something so bizarre about trumps conduct when it comes to this stuff that you almost think that, if he were to be doing things for as fishy reasons as he sometimes appears to be. He would be more clever about the way he went about it. I mean it's it's it's! It's serve so blunt that it's dead it makes you serve wonder if but you haven't had what your indication of this. This is how this guy operates with delicacy and foresight and deftness club where necessary, he's sort of a giant blunt instrument. He goes directly fur

exactly what he wants. It doesnt beat around the Bush and he makes if there's a pretence there, it's the flimsiest of kinds that just dropped as with the slightest touch. So it's kind of a beast with behaviour that we come to sing with its present. But again that that that doesn't answer the question of whether or not if, if he were acting in bad faith, if he were firing, call me because calmly was getting too close to issues of you one coming to get anywhere near. Is he clever enough to structure the firing in a way that wouldn't immediately draw more and more and more attention to this? question, which I think is what aims asked yet night. I think I dont out of it. I think, if that's the reason he did it. I think he's in for a reason for Hell the time, because I know not only, how can we not get out of the blue she's about why he fired call me, but I think is: can we owe to Portugal, water on, wherever that investigation was going, if, if he really had got,

or that it was going somewhere substantive? While we should summarize what we know to this point, and I'm gonna try to do it really quickly? Just now, you can jump in it because one So the official explanation was that there was a memo drawn up by rob. Rosen steam, deputy, Gee suggesting army general all the ways in which, two weeks ago, all the way here, oh Mamma, official ambush official, is although leading them the russian investigation. So because attorney General Jeff sessions were accused himself so that memo suggested all the ways in which call me have really botched the investigation to Hillary Clinton and made himself the centre of it and whether Red Legged blog. By John Petworth, I mean that essay. The reasons you I could have written arose and see memo the Wall Street Journal as hurling gonna written represents a memo. Although people do know that their presence

mammal, does not say anywhere in the world. We should be dismissed as talks about his bad behaviour and much legislation. Much like commies talk about it As regards New York Times colonists, bread Stevens was noted today that the notion that the Trump Administration saw this memo enacted right away to dismiss them, Komio flimsy in particular, because it took them eight weeks, against MIKE Flynn. He needed what they called the due process, and yet James coming did not so that sort of fell by the wayside rather quickly, and then the White House hasn't really been defending that logic, but we have seen, is a drastic.

A skating day, Luzhkov leagues from the White House, from the Department of Justice from just about everywhere, citing depending on the report, you read the Washington Post, the New York Times the Wall Street Journal NBC News, all of which suggest either that James coming was getting very close to this rush investigation receiving daily, not legally briefings up to and including according to the Wall Street Journal, citing very close to evidence of quote collusion. Other the count suggest that he was coming had frustrated the president by not giving him a lot of support for the wiretapping claim that was too of two reports suggest that as well so depends on what can't you want to read into it, but the mirrors in account. That said that the White House was angry economy because it refused, he refused to preview the testimony he was waning, Before the Senate, let them know what it was that he was going to say now that, but when I said, was about the direction wire time right and, of course, the mildly nauseous

statement which is mainly as way say was mildly nauseous of the thought that he might have had a material effect. Twenty six hours later, when there are the implication- and I didn't read this anywhere, but somebody I tweeted it. I think I'm not sure that that was actually in the text of a report, but it's it's a fun little conspiracy theory that call me had begun taking too much credit for Donald Trump victory over Hillary Clinton, which had made the president a little jealous well or or that or the president felt. That call me was calling into question the legitimacy of his victory on the grounds that it only took place because comas investigation had had an effect on the electoral rely, little data that those that that was the now here's. The actual stories funding? Ok, on to interrupt here and say. The problem with all these stories is you don't know where they come from? You don't understand whose leaking them you dont know whether the people who are leaving them know anything more than their reading on twitter, and

the media and am because for example the FBI in the world. Three journal story. Explosives, regional story today says people in the F B. I believe the trump fired calmly because he was getting too close on Russia, but how people in the F B, I know why Trump fired call me like they're, not in the White House Trump, doesn't share information with them. It could be not be anyone can see. In fact, hundreds of thousands of people have speculated precisely this since Tuesday afternoon, so that specula is worthless. As a matter of fact, though, it It will be very useful for the people who want to use this to you now I'll drop down, slows agenda down, slow the Republicans down, drive the republican numbers into the sea. Where there was a pole onto

day by quite a pact, which has been a very unfriendly Paul to Republicans enter Trump in general over the last four months, but that has the so called Merrick balance? That is, when you ask. Who will you vote for in the next election, a Republican or a Democrat, has the Democrats winning by eighteen points. Now, if that holds that generic ballot in twenty times, for example, the overall generic ballot was about and in twenty ten, that in two thousand and nine and twenty ten was about fifteen points. In Republicans, favouring Republicans one sixty three c in the house. If the number, if the generic number unfavourable to Republican stays over ten percent, Republicans will lose the House of Representatives. So that is an important thing to watch, because if it's true, when it may not be it may be a bad pole, it may be a blip it. Maybe you know whatever cause other pulse, don't quite job with it. But of course those things are effect.

By what happens. Going down the road, and if what you have your simultaneously a portrait of the administration, that port painted by the media that it is a incompetent which is not this story, but we that is venal, and that adds up to no good, and then it is alternately. Somehow a cats paw of Russia, selling indulgences and favours for the Trump duration, whatever and report can we cannot create a counter narrative to dispute this make a case of their own, which is we're doing good stuff and their only trying to say but because they know that you know if we get our legislative agenda through their finished for a generation. If republican Don't have that argument to make and all they have is everyone's being so unfair. Donald Trump and the media's mean then the republican base

be very passionate about this and twenty eighteen and nobody else will write I mean, as far as you say, you said earlier that the facts of the matter is regarding whether this is a true. The alternative case is true. I mean it's sort of besides the point as far as the public, imagining Ngos there's no counter narrative coming out of this administration. All the public is left with is their worst conclusions, because they have nothing else to rest for now again what who had a we start? This out I mean there is new in forty eight hours. So part of the problem is the key like us, we live and breathe these things. Twenty four hours a day we're on social media all day. We are vastly club, Sir, to the ins and outs and details of the story than the than the vast majority of the public

and we know we don't know where they'll be next week and whether if you know Trump nominates a perfectly acceptable new FBI director that Republicans can get behind and democrats- keep yelling and screaming about constitutional crisis. When nothing Alex any further than it is now then Democrat starting with their own play their hand, and problems are going to start seeming more sane. Then there. And a right Democrats, my that's I'm proposing that as a fear along a might have regiment everything that is especially if Trump knows that, clean on the on the collusion issue, I mean if, if if, but he can't know, in other words, he can only be issues problem so say, he's clean, let's presume for the sake of arguing that he is clean and the collusion issue he's, not a russian agent, he can't Oh, whether MIKE Flynn was up to no good. That's that's part of the problem.

MIKE Flynn was really was genuinely after no good and genuine. We reporting back to the Russians about what was going on inside the term campaign. That not necessarily you know at the end of the Trump administration, but it is How renders we ban, I mean, is bad in seventy five, thousand different ways and of course the thing gets me is that we keep talking about Flynn and Flint. Inflamed has fallen, was, of course, appointed to mate was served as an obscure visor for twenty four days. I think I mean the last thing. The case that is really creepy and then I assume, is a major focus of this investigation is Paul metaphor. I mean that is Paul metaphor. We know worked for she cut out for decades. Made twelve million dollars or something like that from a pro russian. You, russian TK

its part in the Ukraine. Hiding, so the assets was playing games that were very strange emails from being passed between his own daughters about the weird of his own behaviour and man afforded resign under a cloud in August and then Bannon and Kelleam Conway came in to run the campaign, but man afford is the metaphor is likely likelier to be. I think you know like the gotcha person here, which is both better and worse for tromp, because on the one hand it's better because he fired him in August and he didn't have any role or anything like that and it's worse, because Trump would in essence, potentially have fired him because he knew that something untoward was going on and didn't caught didn't cop

two, it didn't diminute, so that there is a lot more going on and if we are talking about the general public, that's the sort of thing that they won't zero went on what the general public probably noses, there's a cloud of suspicion regarding Trump and Russia, and they don't exactly know what the details are, but they don't think it's good and then they hear they had. The person is investigating. This has been let go summarily and without much explanation. Nothing that holds up to scrutiny. That's the kind of thing that is a problem because of the scandal that boils down to a sentence and there's no way for trumped to refute it. There's no way to boy did two zero in on one little detail and know that zero dead that detail out at least do so. Some doubt in the public mind, and then you know cast all the other allegations there with kind of the veneer of doubt similar, like there's no way to do that here. It's just going to hang there. It's just going to be a cloud over his administration.

Exactly what happened to Hillary Clinton. You couldn't ever dispel or disprove the allegations against Hillary Clinton, there's just court of a general suspicion and that's what did in all. That being said, there is talk. Email from France Tomorrow's commentary, contributors on on social media- all this. You know that suggests the trump that what Trump did has risen to the level of him being implicitly or you know by by default russian agent, and that you know he must be impeached, because because his behavior has reached a level that, in the entire republican Party is now, you know going to go down with him in the infamy, because it isn't separating itself from him, and I,

bounced back and forth between thinking that trump better take this seriously, because you know absent and on rush of good news, including good economic. It was good all sorts of news, This is a surfing concern. You know, corrupt, and eroding support in republican circles, because What are they defending them? For, I'm going to seem less and less powerful and potent as in see more and more isolated. And they and they know every Republican. The house has to run for re election. Two thousand and eighteen. And on the other hand, I think, from here to treat this as though the people who say this are insane because, if he is innocent in his own way shape. He cannot take that seriously. He they have to act as though this is just

screaming madness of people who don't like him? I didn't I am to be elected and who are simply trying to get him out by any means, but he's not he's not doing any that these. These diving it's kind of silly and superficial, but he's signing this apple David swearing that he's got no less, I'm sorry, it's a certified letter. So no rise. Saying you ve got no links to Russia and and recording Sean Visor. A sturdy. The White House is higher than outside law, firm in Washington to read by allegations of of links between Trump, the Trump Organization and the administration. No, this is something that the White House Councils Office can do should do, and yet they have higher than outside firm to do it. These are the the there there are acting as though this is something that they should be taking Bernini. While, meanwhile, we have, these nagging quotes around that, make it impossible to shut the door on this. If you're an honest person like Eric Trump, his son saying

We have all this money coming in from Russia. That's helping us! He said that in two thousand nine, so drums things never had a deal with Russia, they're ready money they ve never had any relations with Russia must not be true. I mean what would our make up that we have a lot of money coming in from Russia. Now he could be stupid. Me could mean by that. The Russians were buying apartments and trim tower. Were indeed buying apartments, all over midtown Manhattan in part to get their liquid assets out of Russia and turn them into a liquid assets in the United States that could not be seized by the Putin government. If the oligarchs in question turned into Putin enemies instead of prudent friend but assuming that that's not what he meant, and that was not the context of what he said. Then we have that we have. You know. Also, it's weird behaviour we have in the saloon goes to Russia. You know we have jar cushioned sister

owing to China, saying that our my family is really interested in making sure that you invest with us. Well who's your family, your brother, though, who is basically the most powerful person aside from the president inside the Trump White House. Now the thing is that these dot points, these points on a graph can all be active. If things go sour for Trump, like they ve already been connected by his enemies and- whether his friends start getting quit, you even have that many frenzy, as people who are afraid of him he's got people who were excited at the prospect of using him as a vehicle for republican conservative governance, but if they get queasy you know, there's plenty, a data to help them get queasy. He is gone and I have a piece of your post today that says that the parent love administration that he needs to look to wear that we need to look to understand the position that transcends the

Ardor administration Has Carter so alienated. The people in his own party, who were they vary in a much more dominating position. Assuming in Washington and nineteen seventy seven. Seventy eight, then Republicans are in Washington, now hundred seats in the house, sixty one seat in the Senate from that Carter, so annoyed irritated and alienated them that he couldn't even get his legislative agenda through with of official us to approve majority in the Senate, which blocked is signature of arms tree. So, if that happens if he alienates the people in his own party, he's got friends, otherwise in quite the opposite, he's got actual huh. Mobile antagonist, who want to destroy so what? If he didn't fire calmly, because he was getting close to anything. But what, if He'S-

He fired him as one part of this sort of multi front campaign, involving the certified letter and then does it end, and the independent council did too Ok, you know at the whole the whole Russia thing. The whole investigation is and is not just a drag on the administration and and whip, but let's make this large concerted effort to get past it, to put it to rest, taking it seriously. Well, let's put it this way if he fired call me because he thought it must make, makes much more sense than ours. They were getting lets the that supersedes IRAN, Rosen Steed Letter cause with document cause. The administration cited whom we had to go, which was clearly nonsense from the minute that day, mentioned it was. It was getting mad. Watching. Call me on tv and watching people talk about call me on tv. Amy was mad about the former acting at, the General Sally AIDS is testimony last week and he was mad, was man that was me

he finally had had enough- and he said, let's get him out of there. And nobody game did out nobody ok, here's what pins, if you fire chromium Vi can we be. Workers is a constitutional crisis, your fire, because you want to pay the administration. What are we with the investigation into the Russia tie? What do we say about that? So what do they say about that? their huckelby sanders. Who was the deputy press secretary came out yesterday and said that that James COM, who was responsible for committing atrocities? You know like wounded me me why you know you know the balmy there. You know the air bombing of Dresden, I don't even know what do you know the harm. A massacre in Syria love just leave proselytes, and she is by the way supposed to be the better of the press. Secretaries, that's what I keep hearing she so much better than its Who himself said,

president has terminated James, use. The word terminated glaring, with extreme prejudice I thought of like doktor doktor evil, in Austin powers. Saying to his son, I had the support group eliminated when his senses. We had a breakthrough in group dad satellite inside the support, I keep their use things language out of you know idiot we're going back and forth on twitter above with Apocalypse now well, yes, terminate with extreme prejudice, he's got no congressional oversight was behaving extremely presidential bashing, I mean, but this is what I am saying so there to his wooden. As one of which is the actual facts of the case which are unclear and which you can't. You cannot dismiss the paranoid theories of the left as some like our friend Molly Hemingway, or want to do simply by saying there paranoid and crazy, because I'm sorry Trump does not breed the confidence that the paranoid, crazy arguments

his rise and he himself as a bit of a paranoid, crazy and tie? You can't simply dismiss it as a key to your point earlier about Republicans falling out. As we have said, there is no counter narrative from this white have so for honest people to reach. The worst conclusion is a purely human reaction is not partisan. It's not you, know, bizarre dishonest, its natural and for Trump supporters. To dismiss that or whistling pass the graveyard. There was a story in the times today about Trump supporters. What are they think? What are they thinking? What do they want to know what and how they submit standing by this present, as though there some sort of exhibit in a menagerie, we should be reading stories about what everybody else thinks Trump is at an average of forty two point: five percent, according to real, clear politics, job approval, that's not awful, but an good and the notion that this guy's, a master strategies to can do no wrong pervades his base. It's not gonna go anywhere, but

Republicans in the Congress there unable to move forward with our agenda as a result of some of this that gets thrown up a black list of what we have heard. This was to do this week in the Senate. They'll. They trumpets now screwed up right. You they were supposed to do healthcare. Do the Senate version of the House bill, so that this thing, which has to get done by June tenth Idle which is literally a month if it doesn't get done by June. Tenth, the reconciliation window closes October until I got Toby and which would mean they have to do this in order to do attacks, bill in the fall. If they don't do this, if they can this done because Democrats are given an excuse, basically shut the set it down until he appoint special prosecutor or

happened yesterday they had the le according to reporting an actual. They literally had to shut everything round in order to respond to the firestorm than have been ignited by this combing thing, which is still going on right. Now that look and there's another huge gaming out issue that they that they didn't foresee call me as someone who is great for is that he is obsessed with getting his side of events out there. What's what he's this is this is with his own virtue. Let's right, fine, a correct! So now this this is his he's. This is going to silence him, you know or or is he you know, this is theirs kid. There's gonna be some sort of co me countered, one way or another that that's going back on that's gonna, be that's gonna, raise all sorts of new questions when we vote, see that right, we know that he bade his friends, obviously relieves the information that he wanted more money. And then there is this detail in the Wall Street Journal story.

Today that says that he was starting to get daily rather than weekly briefings on the investigation, because it was bearing fruit and that there were details that he needed to know on a daily basis. So those obviously come from the call me camp. I, when I return the New York Times were somebody had said that coming called the president crazy using that word right, but that was crazy about right. That's right! So call me. Apparently, you called the present crazy listening to him go off on whether or not Barack Obama had leaked or had to have him wiretaps right. Ok, so now I'm trying to give the president benefited out, so I will but here's I wanna go onto a slightly

ancillary issue that makes it harder for me to give him the benefit of the doubt. There's nothing to do with this. It just has to do with the quality of his mind. The way you think somebody see their two interviews this morning was in the economist, the other was in time general interviews and he's about to give another one, I think later today to Lester Holt of NBC, which I think we'll start seeing this afternoon, breakout on everywhere, cuz supposed to do it at noon. So these are both like days. Our is basically an you read them and there's something wrong with the guy. I'm sorry, I you cannot read these interviews and not see that this is a person who cannot keep a thought in his head for more than forty five seconds, their jagged, their discontinue ass. They make no sense.

He rules and announces things about policies like my favorite example, the question of whether or not the propellant, That causes airplanes, naval airplanes on aircraft carriers to be launched from the podium of the aircraft care from the surface of the aircraft carrier, whether the catapults system should be done with steam or what he calls Digital and how he and how somebody told him on the aircraft carrier this that the digital isn't as good as the steam. So he'd them no digital, only steam. Ok, you cleaned up quite a bad. Well, I spent five minutes. You know like interpreting it. It was like you know, was like reading a paragraph from Ulysses. You know it's not, so we have not so easy to put the words in the

I'm, where that now in the verb, were supposed to be contiguous, intact, hillocks, amateur I wish negatively has rhythm so So basically, he's announcing that, based on a conversation we have with somebody on on board an aircraft, if I don't even know when this was that, ordered the navy to use steam for further catapult system on an aircraft carrier, because the Digital is no good. It's no good that Digital is never any good long time coming. That's just one of forty art and then, of course, the big one that everybody is like kind of got like job dropped on is where he announces that You know there are certain economic policies that are a good idea because they help you, prime the pump

and then he says, priming the pump, that's a phrase I die. I invented that France priming upon him. He invented the phrase priming the pump, that's funny cause. You know I then the phrase a stitch in time saves nine. I invented the phrase you know call me Ishmael Woody hidden. I mean not only that, but he has used this phrase a lot in the past and the yeah. You quoted a couple of our own here, Harlin's about it. Yet I get the same saying the problem which rampage that this is a field that no it has in the upcoming issue that you know Trump calling for priming. The pump reveals that his economics is not conservative. Rather keynesian in that it doesn't make any sense because Keynesian ISM only works to priming. The pump only works when the pompous is totally stock and in fact the economy is working in ass, lovely marriage. She anyway,

and also homes have been prime since invention pumps after to they invented the pump, the prime, the palm, so the pump doesn't get stuff. You know it's like, I can't even think of upper. I can't even think of a proper analogy for this, and it there something disordered about about his the way he perceives things. He also makes fake danger. This policy off the cuff and these interviews heat he told Reuters that he wants to South Korea to pay for the for the FED missile system, not not true, but it It is absolutely rocked things in South Korea, we exist now. We don't really know that much about software in politics, but it came in the middle of a very delicate south korean election. There. One by believe a candidate that all things being equal. The United States would not have wanted to see be the President of South Korea, somebody who is an accommodation with North Korea at a time

when we seem to want to confront south. And no some element of trumps in involving himself in this issue about whether or not you know he was gonna. Stick to South Korea, played some role in this residential and we have a written agreement to fund that absolutely It was, it was underway, honoured and then, but it was a bad name. No security adviser, General Mc Master came out and contradicted Trump area publicly, and now we have some lorries are reported by July leg that master and down from had had a real falling out of screaming for, and I guarantee you that that contradiction in public had something to do with it. So Basically, all I'm saying is that you can look at this and talk about it and talk about tramping him. The benefit of the doubt and the presidency is not fitting him like a glove. Let us just say he does not appear to be good,

into the office, he does not appear to be CHE. Haven't the office doesn't appear to be changing them in any way. If anything, it seems to be hardening his bag. Qualities and whatever his good qualities may or may not be, are not really much in evidence, you know in terms of the deal making where's the deal making penalty Maybe he made a deal with the with the what's the group. What's the conservative group in the house freedom, cock and freedom caucus, so maybe made a deal with the framework is to throw a lot of money at something, so quiet them down, so that they would agree with the second generation of the American Healthcare ACT. But you know able to make deals with people on your own side is not exactly what we think of when we talk about making deals right. It's all about making bills of people who were across the table from you want something different and clearly He is making that impossible in the political context. I mean he's, not the only one there.

Give me an impossible to like it. You know what hot, if, if he's innocent of all charges, then having to work with humor Nancy Blowsy, who were basically calling him. You know a trader who wants to sell the country to Russia. That's not going to be easy. I wouldn't I wouldn't finally so simple to make good deals with them and they have. She came into office, feeling like it was in the second year of his second term we already have, we were, is surrounded by scandal. It with their reserved shake up every other week. We were losing this guy in that guy over something at the end and Republicans around weighing not around an agenda that around the president. It really does feel like term to ok. Can I now share with you the I'm gonna give Donald Trump Trump's of Machiavelli's advice, which I'm sure had listened too, because I know he's a big listener of this podcast. The fan of arson really enjoys our work, but

one of the things that's going on in two hundred days or a hundred and ten days or whatever the Trump Administration is that there are people within his White House who are constantly telling reporters things that make him look as though he is a and ambulatory psychopath. Who, as you know, like in need of them of Thorazine Day in day out, is raging at the tvs yelling at mcmasters. Having screaming fights of this, he has a tantrum back daddy yelled at John Spicy yelled at this. What he's doing this is to be met, so, if Trump, as a good chief eggs It was a good sense of how to function with in good working order. He would do something to try to figure out who it is who is dropping dirty dimes on him Since some of this may not be true by the waves and that's one of the ways this works, who it is its dropping dirty dimes on him and there's a very

simple way to do this and in trying to figure out leakers, which is that you plant false information with one person and you find out. You see whether or not that piece of false information makes it into the press, and then you know who did it and then you fire that person and you fire them and humiliate them in public by saying they were leak. You know they were in our restoration, acting in bad faith, the in the air, the information they liked was untrue and besides, which their disgusting you know whatever. If he doesn't do some version of this and figure out how to quiet down. This is not the way white houses have worked in the last fifteen years. Neither the Bush nor the Obama, White houses Bush and abolish both inspired serious loyalty and in their staffs who liked them respected them. Thought the world of them were very protective of them,

and we did not get a lot of leaking about what went on inside, particularly in the Obama administration. We really didn't get very much at all, and Trump clearly does not have anything like this with his people, and maybe he doesn't servant, and they don't owe it to a necessarily, except that it would help the good functioning of his administration, but if they don't do something about making sure that you know some there really terrific group so we're getting great stuff out of this White House. You know Maggie Haber, men and glance, Russia, the New York Times and Bob cost at the Washington post and actually Parker at the Washington Post and Carol Lee at the Wall Street Journal all these people, if, if if they continue to get daily reports, that show that the press,

and this wandering around the way Nixon wandered around the White House according to Woodward and Burns theme in the final days. You know like yelling at paintings and stuff like that. He'll never have an effective white house of effective administration. One of the details in these various reports that proportionate to suggest why Jim Commie was released that had nothing to do with the official explanation was that tromp was frustrated that the F B. I wasn't doing more or suss out leakers in his administration and were reminded of what happened in twenty thirteen with the Obama administration, which was obsessed with ferreting out leaguers, and in order to do that violated? Some really serious protocols by monitor rapporteur is by tapping the commune nations of remembering those were not. Reporters inside the White House now stay state and justice, where the two places where there were these real

illegitimate efforts to root out right. There was James rose in that state and there was the guy the Apes guy at at at justice. Who is doing the fast for its investigations. The White House has been forced forbidden out for basically for sixteen years, and maybe you could even sentenced where the Clinton White House, since I don't think people inside the clear- why has turned on Clinton during the windscreen matter? There wasn't much going on where we heard about what was going on inside the White House during during the year you know you cannot function if you have people who are like green, Are you getting on the phone to gossip with their friends at the New York Times about the latest psychotic thing the trump did at six? Thirty, a trump himself is perfectly willing to do this himself in the economist, In our view, he walks around. You know like showing them putting pudding T vow in showing them something from new show that got him angry

almost Daily Valley, the man is either the present United States, like you know, he's like team one g o among Paypal morning, Joe with he hasn t low. The detail in that story was last Sunday, Is there like he got extra scoops of ice cream and everybody else around him didn't and that that detail was included in this and probably to make him seeing petty and Oh my god, how can we then? Why? And I really wanted ice cream on a chocolate cream cake? There's all this. Like you, don't know my script on chocolate green gave. You have whipped cream, a job that green. What's the matter with them, we got two scoops and there are some other details about that meal, but about the coke, but it was a real too. There was a real about. The coke button from two weeks ago is gonna button, the the button it gets cold I still narrow. What's wrong?

there's nothing wrong with it, every very rich person in the world as a body that press where someone will bring them a by these motives. Our me first one million this. These are details that are interesting and relevant in their printed, and he gets very frustrated when the details that are interesting and relevant get printed as, though he's not offering this information up to reporters I will say one other thing, which is of course his wife is not living with him right in his and his eleven year. Old son is not living with him and supposedly they're coming in June after the school year in New York is over and they're going to move in White House, and you know. Maybe this is really a horror show story about what happens when somebody is let loose, and I was like living patting around this giant mansion by himself like the shining Its likeness Niger is actually very tardy, yea turned the corner, and there are these two two twin ghosts going come here. We're gonna blood is going to come out of the elevator. I mean you know it's like

he's not a particularly in respect of person. Obviously, so you know you know him he's got his grave and but as well when things slowly? But here is a question: do you think that the chaos bothers him at all? I don't know- bothered him at all I mean, even even when it manifests and less seriously bothers him everything I mean Bothers more than anything else would bother him. I mean I don't know this this this is made just made, may be how we function and he loves it. But I don't know whether listen there is there is. There is a difference between running an organisation in which you force the executives under you to be in a state of pitched confrontation and competition cuz. You think that that's the best way to get the most work and asked work out of them right. It's a certain management style, theirs so the zero sum game style, which is that you know everything comes up and the funnel is very narrow, and so, if somebody's

somebody else's down this is another management sattler questions about whether the barons who good or bad, but is a management style, not knowing what you're doing is not a management style and does it bought that doesn't bother him and only doesn't bother him, because he is unaware that it doesn't that that it bothersome, because of course it bothers him, it's like stumbling around. You know where you don't know where the furniture is and not oh. All, these leaks are entirely poorly reflective on this White House. They leaked reporters in order to make themselves look better in one of the most entertaining of those over the course of this call me thing was the attempt at export exculpation from this White House to say that they didn't think that the reaction to the call firing from Democrats would be as apocalyptic as it was

because they had so viciously attacked him and twenty sixteen, and it would be hypocritical, general gradually to tackle Democrats and it wouldn t be hypocritical for them to attack Donald Trump for firing them, as though politicians fail to observe the hypocrisy ones, and we have it then, the next day, Mackay carbons and rosy, Graham the Atlantic said they did to know that it was going to be a big fight. So because let it allows while because of their legal rights and who knows where they thought it was gonna, be a big fire. That was going to be a very big. I, like, I M, really going out and they said that because they thought it would provide some absolution for their behaviour or word that it would say one or two f oh, why I thought they didn't like call me. Well, you know. The funny part is that it seems very hey easy, and this is the website. It is true that there is something slightly verdict I wouldn't do sing about how and the website. You know about how much a total on Tuesday Gomes on Wednesday. Com is bad and Thursday companies good remember that call me was suddenly

at last week and he said whom a bed and had in fact sent classes five emails to Anthony three computer, even though he had been she had been cleared, and that call me said this, and it wasn't true and he needed to clarify it and then our fight it, then somebody else said: no, the clarification was wrong. She had done it and she hadn't done Adam Democrats were yelling because he was like reopening slandering whom abandon or whatever so like even up to twenty four hours before call me became the Renault workers that are no rule. We become. Who was? Ok, larger, whose sacrifice you already written about it. I can't remember Thomas, a back, that's you Henry. The second say who read me of this metals: priest Self he's Thomas.

Bags obligatory for hours. He was twenty four hours earlier you with some. You know: venal monster. You now trashing the reputations of Democrats over Cromwell, so it is like swimming. You know, they'll, say anything I'll, do anything but now the issue. Unfortunately, the more republican, then trump apologists and NEO Trump apologist try to make it as though the Democrats or the issue here, data Do anything? That's the point he he fired call me here he appointed Flynn theirs green and then fired him twenty four days later under a cloud he high, he appointed him when he shouldn't have who are looking into this, you know in the house, and Senate would really rather not if they wouldn't have to whatever you know apocalyptic.

Nonsense. The Democrats may be peddling about how this is worse than Watergate. Him he's Nixon all that there's Not responsible for any of David me to any day didn't do anything. Everything that's going on here is the result of behaviour by Trump or the people close to trump more of the people close to Trump really than trumpets, except for the firing coming may be legitimate, but is still political crisis, which is where we started, I believe and where we will finish. So I remind you that commentary magazine is the seventy two year old monthly of political analysis, intellectual probity in cultural criticism from a conservative perspective. Please go Itunes, if you're subscribers podcast, you will do us a huge favor if you're gonna, Itunes and leave a review

the review. Will you give us some stars, the more you do, the higher we get rankings, the more people in the Itunes tunes Universe will see and will want to subscribe to us and our audience will get bigger than you'll be able to tell people that you were listening before this became the most popular podcast on the planet. Earth the link is in the post that you will find a commentary. Amazing there come to this podcast I've learned, this process of of begging of doing a beg for reviews from our friends at the weekly substandard, who said some very nice things on their latest podcast about us. Thank you John envy last for calling commentary your favorite pot cast. I would say that we can sub standard. Is my favorite part cast, even though the opinions expressed when popular culture just her ripping when sparingly

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