The beauty of my job is the people I work with. We are a team, and there is a real togetherness, a common front, a shared camaraderie that has often been commented on by various visitors from Head Office.

That core, that allied front we display is, in fact, the very reason for the success of our location. It is also the success of any organization, any administrative body who wishes to lead effectively must have that or eventually, well, it’s just a dictatorship.

Which would appear to be the direction my neighbours to the south of that 49th parallel are moving, as their POTUS seems to be unable to play well with others, little lone listen to their advice, if he even seeks their advice since apparently he’s omnipotent and knows all, sees all.

For now the United States of America stands divided, weakened, and their reputation as a world leader in tatters, and with a probable government shut down looming over a wall that will serve no loftier purpose than to satisfy his loyalists, spending millions and millions that could more wisely be spent elsewhere, and I think it is safe now to say that the POTUS is unfit for the office for which he now holds. Just sayin’, pertaps? Em, I just don’t think he ‘gets’ it, doesn’t understand the role of the office he has, doesn’t really get what a president actually is.

Article II of the Constitution establishes the executive branch of the federal government. It vests the executive power of the United States in the president. The power includes the execution and enforcement of federal law, alongside the responsibility of appointing federal executive, diplomatic, regulatory and judicial officers, and concluding treaties with foreign powers with the advice and consent of the Senate. The president is further empowered to grant federal pardons and reprieves, and to convene and adjourn either or both houses of Congress under extraordinary circumstances.^[13] The president directs the foreign and domestic policies of the United States, and takes an active role in promoting his policy priorities to members of Congress.^[14] In addition, as part of the system of checks and balances, Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution gives the president the power to sign or veto federal legislation. The power of the presidency has grown substantially since its formation, as has the power of the federal government as a whole.

Wikipedia

The office of President, therefore, was never meant to be a dictatorship. Actually, the very founding of the country was based mostly on preventing what they saw happening in other countries at the time for which they were constructing that constitution.

Basically, I would conclude that this particular president just wants to surround himself with yes people since basically, he’s a bully. He has no use for those with solid values, a moral compass, in short, people of some modicum of that strength of character we look for in our leaders. Experience and qualifications for the job are I guess irrelevant as long as they are loyal to him and do his bidding no questions asked, says what he wants, and do not have that annoying habit of thinking for themselves.

Perhaps on the surface, since it would seem somehow they threaten him, but if you look further, and in the case of the resignation of Secretary of Defense General Mattis, the rumpTus just doesn’t have the kahunas, he doesn’t have the ability to administrate, to take advice, to listen to advice, to consult, to consider, to take the vast wealth of knowledge he has at his disposal and make any sort of informed decision. So, Mattis probably just gave up, this was his line and the president crossed it.

“One core belief I have always held is that our strength as a nation is inextricably linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships. While the US remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies.”

James Mattis letter of resignation

Do you think the rumpTus has any ‘core’ beliefs? Nah, me neither. Instead, he goes with his burgers and fries fueled gut, and his inexperience, and his need to have the spotlight firmly fixed on him, and his name in the headlines.

You could easily take this a step further, maybe one too far, but still, it certainly would seem on the surface that this POTUS is doing the bidding of his handlers overseas, perhaps in, um, Russia.

I mean, lifting sanctions against some Russian aluminum company connected to Manafort and that whole mess, and speaking to Turkey the other day, and Erdoğan telling him they are planning a major assault on the Kurds in Syria, and given that the U.S. is supposed to be an Allie of the Kurds, I guess maybe that was just fair warning. So, what does he do? Get’s out of the way, let er’ rip, basically.

Well, and given that Russia would like nothing more than getting the U.S. out of the whole region full stop so that they can have complete control, without those pesky 2000 American troops backing up the Kurds in the region. So, now, no one has their back. That should go well.

Although, it may not benefit Turkey as much as it will benefit Russia, as Bloomberg is reporting;

Russia and Iran are keen to restore all of Syria to Assad’s control, whereas Turkey, in common with the U.S., wants the dictator gone. When the Americans have vacated the field, says Kiniklioglu, Moscow and Tehran will “feel more confident about calling the shots in Syria.”

Bloomberg – Trump Gives Turkey a Double-Edged Gift,
by Bobby Ghosh
December 20, 2018, 1:16 PM EST

To be clear, there are many who never agreed to have troops in Syria, to begin with, however, once you’ve made a commitment one does have an obligation, right? At least an obligation to go through the proper channels, pull out in a slow and steady manner, and ensuring that one is living up to their commitments.

Whatever his motives are I question them, whether for profit or otherwise.

Such as, here Putin, a Christmas gift, major sanctions lifted from a Russian aluminum company owned by some oligarch, and pulling out troops from Syria. Anything else, sir? OH, you want us out of Afganistan too? Well, certainly sir, certainly, get right on that, sir. {bowing as he walks backward out of the room}

This is a great leader? This is what one looks like? I have a bit of a hard time actually wrapping my head around how anyone can possibly think that being a puppet is what leadership looks like.

Personally, I think the 45th is compromised. It certainly looks like he is on the surface of it, and that Putin has something and whatever that something might be he is holding it over the rumpTus bumpkin. Basically, maybe Putin pulled on the leash and his lapdog healed like a good little doggy?

This is what Democracy looks like?

Heck, even McConnell, wishy-washy as he is at times, but even he has come out in strict criticism of the assinine move, of this abrupt and unilateral decision to pull out of Syria.

Oh, and another of his spineless yes men, the acting AG, has decided that he doesn’t have to recuse himself in regards the Mueller Probe. Yes, and even though an advisor told Whittaker it would be a good idea as his appearance of bias is an issue, as it would tarnish any decision he made, and thus the office of the Department of Justice itself, which might very well be what the 45th’s ultimate goal is anyway.

The 45th inexperience and complete knucklehead ideas are exactly why Putin was so hot to push the levers that could influence the U.S. Election his way. Probably a moot point, but Clinton could never have been so easily pushed around, plus her experience in international affairs and her wealth of knowledge was a real threat to Russia.

I mean, even when his ideas have some basis in reality, which tends to be rare, but even when they do, the way in which he enacts them is often irrational and poorly done, stepping on toes, and no listening to sound advice and somehow manages to insult someone, somewhere, somehow, since he has no experience with government and has no idea what the heck he’s doing.

Plus, he lacks confidence and some of what I think we saw is due to that. He just acts on impulse because he is afraid to be thought of as weak. Well, basically because he is weak, and this week alone if anyone had any question about how weak he really is, well, we all got an eye full.

I keep hearing as well people saying that these crises he creates are just done to change the narrative away from some news he wants people to ignore. Ok, so he changes the narrative, and is like, hey, ya thought that was a stupid move? Watch this!!

And so gradually, day after day, the country he serves falls farther and farther into crisis after crisis of his own making, swirling the drain, and one after another the guardrails are pushed out or resign. This man is spectacular in his failures to even try to be presidential, and what more damage he will incite, another misguided tweet, who knows what the day will bring, but I just think the man is completely compromised and at the least unfit for the office of the President of the United States.

So, you think he’ll resign? I was wondering if all this was maybe just him paying the debts he owed, in order to get something, probably somehow related to profit and greed, or maybe Putin promised him the pee tapes if he did his bidding before he flew the coup. Guess we shall see, probably just wishful thinking. Though, em. Anywho.

title modified from Sir Walter Scott poem entitled Marmion
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featured photo by Min Thein on Pexels.com