Down a Rabbit Hole
The first memorable televised presidential debates (Eisenhower and Stevenson debated on air but nobody remembers it) were in 1960 between Jack Kennedy and Richard Nixon. Nixon lost because his make-up staff failed and Kennedy was a lot better looking.
The real highlight for me was a major flap about two tiny islands off the coast of China (Quemoy & Matsu), upon which were stationed tiny garrisons of troops from Taiwan. The question was the strength of our commitment to Taiwan. Would we go to war with China to protect Taiwan’s garrisons on those two specs of land? It was a foolish debate because both candidates were committed to supporting Taiwan’s independence and the islands were too close to China (within artillery range) to be of any military use to Taiwan. That did not stop the issue from sucking up lots of debate time and media hyperventilation.
I see a real parallel with the gigantic waste of time that the impeachment process has become. Will we hear from John Bolton? I don’t even think the Democrats believe, in their heart of hearts, that John Bolton has anything useful to add. They just want to run the clock and hope something emerges. They want to cry “cover-up” if he is not allowed to testify.
To what end is all of the bloviation? Why have we shut the political process down when this year’s deficit will exceed $1 trillion; Iran and young Kim are building atom bombs; we may be on the verge of a global pandemic; and the European Union is falling apart?
We already have the information needed. Donald Trump asked the president of Ukraine to investigate Joe and Hunter Biden. He released a call transcript with that request made in a clear declarative sentence. Hunter Biden’s service on the board of a Ukrainian energy company to the tune of $83,333.33 per month was corrupt on its face. One hundred senators now need to vote on whether Trump’s request constitutes grounds for his removal from office. There are real issues that need to be addressed by America’s government. Get on with it! Climb out of the rabbit hole and go back to work. The Taiwanese have long since removed their troops from Quemoy & Matsu. There is no source of water on either island.
