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Dan Rather's Facebook Musings

Selected Facebook posts by Dan Rather During Trump's first days as president. 3/2/17 Every once in a while in Washington, the fuse is lit for what seems to be a big scandal. Much more rarely does that fuse lead to an explosion of the magnitude we are seeing with Russia and the new Administration, and frankly the Republicans in Congress. How can anybody say, with all this billowing smoke and sights of actual flames, that there is no need to at least independently investigate whether a fire is burning down the very pillars of our democracy? The pressure is obviously starting to mount as leading Republicans are now calling for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to recuse himself from the Russia investigation. This comes in the wake of serious and credible evidence reported by a vigilant press that the Attorney General, mind you the top law enforcement man in the United States, perjured himself in testimony to the Senate about meeting the Russian ambassador during the election. Sessions is but the latest person close to President Trump who seems to be ensnared in a story that is more worthy of Hollywood melodrama than the reality of the governance of our country. Democrats are calling for Sessions to resign, and this story could move very quickly. We are well past the time for any political niceties or benefits of the doubt. We need an independent and thorough investigation of Russia's meddling in our democracy and its ties to the President and his allies. We don't know what we don't know. Perhaps there are perfectly innocuous reasons for why Mr Trump won't release his tax returns, why he has continued to speak admirably about President Putin and why his aides and advisors seem to be so close to Russia. That's why we need an investigation. If the air is to be cleared, it needs to be cleared. And if there is deep rot, it needs to be exposed. And quickly. The press is doing an admirable job. But there is only so much it can do without such things as subpoena powers. Let's just make this clear. This is about a foreign and hostile power trying to influence our election while being in contact with close aides to the presidential campaign that the Kremlin wanted to win. Furthermore, there are serious questions about Mr Trump's longstanding ties to Russian money and influence peddlers. We don't know where this might go, but it isn't going away. 3/4/17 It is understandable that Donald Trump's twitter attack on President Obama early this morning would immediately be consumed by the churning political hurricane that is America today. The deepening divisions that are pulling at the fabric of our nation are on raw display. On one side we see understandable outrage, with many questioning the mental fitness of our Commander and Chief. On the other side we see Trump's allies rallying under their shared hatred of our previous President. Perhaps it is my age or experience, but I feel no schadenfreude or eagerness to say, "I told you so." I feel only a deep and abiding sadness. This is my country that I love with all my heart. We are a weakened nation, in our own estimation, and that of the world. If this was happening in some distant land, we would shake our heads and thank our lucky stars that we are Americans. But this nightmare is happening here, and we have no choice but to confront that disorientating truth. My reporter's instincts make me wonder at Trump's actions. It has the feeling of a classic smokescreen. What is he hiding? Is this a kind of trap? Does he have something he is about to drop? Or does he know something else is about to drop on him and his administration, which is facing a withering crescendo of scandal? We must carefully separate what we know to be true, from what we think to be true, from what we do not yet know. And in the early days of a story like this, what we do not know will far outpace the other two. We do know that there were numerous contacts between close aids to Donald Trump and senior Russian officials at a time when all indications point that the Kremlin was actively trying to undermine the integrity of our election. What we don't know is what these discussions were about. We do not know what is in Mr. Trump's tax returns, which he seems so hell bent on hiding. We do now know all the other suggestions of links between Mr. Trump and people close to him and Russia. And then, of course, we do not know what else there is to know. It is long past time that we have a complete and independent bipartisan investigation, especially since the director of the FBI is under such a cloud of political manipulation. Now is the time to breath the cool winds of impartiality and facts. We need statesmen of steady head and temperament, willing to put country ahead of politics. We cannot afford for our democratic institutions to be consumed by a bonfire of lies, innuendos, and conspiracy theories. We can all work ourselves into fervers of indignation. But the only antidote to these deep and understandable anxieties is the truth. We are the people of the United States. Our great nation is in a perilous moment, and the world is watching with great unease. We want the truth. We demand the truth. We can handle the truth. 3/6/17 At some points words fail, or they are starting to fail me. We have an Administration in freefall. Have we passed through the circle of chaos? Are we at the circle of havoc? The real Donald Trump has stood up, once again. Let no one ever be fooled. Let there be no doubt. The man who sends out a twitter tirade accusing a former President of crimes for which he provides no evidence, the man who doubles down when everyone with any sense pushes back, that man is our Commander in Chief. Every one who normalizes Mr. Trump now, or has in the past, will have to answer to future generations for their acquiescence, silence or sophistry—if, indeed, not outright cowardice. How hollow do all those pundit plaudits (including from many progressives) sound now for an average and disingenuous speech of someone else's words read from a teleprompter to Congress and the nation a week ago? A "presidential" Trump is a punchline to a joke no one wants to have told. Conspiracy theories are corrosive in society at large. When they dictate national policy, they can be lethal. This is a man who challenged the citizenship of President Obama, with lies, innuendo, and no evidence. This is a man who claimed widespread voter fraud with lies, innuendo, and no evidence. This is a man who has taken a rhetorical blowtorch to our Constitutional principles with lies, innuendo, and no evidence. Those who rose in Congress to applaud his turns of phrase bear responsibility. Those who cynically use his presidency to push forward unpopular giveaways to the rich and well connected bear responsibility. Those in the press who meet insults with explanations bear responsibility. Even the most grounded of presidents must fight to keep themselves moored to the real world. The Oval Office can be a bubble. Power attracts sycophants and cynics. But I have never seen anything like this. The sheer level of paranoia that is radiating out of the White House is untenable to the workings of a republic. I have a real question if President Trump actually believes what he is saying. Even Richard Nixon, the most paranoid president to date, ruled for years with a relatively calm hand. This Administration has been an off kilter whirlwind since the inauguration, and news reports suggest that seething anger from Mr. Trump is only getting worse. There is a growing consensus that the President may be "unhinged." It's a serious allegation, but even if it is not the case, Mr. Trump only has himself to blame. To call a drama Shakespearean or operatic is usually an overreach. But I imagine artists of the future, and even the present, will find ample inspiration in our moment in history. Doesn't Steve Bannon strike you as an Iago whispering in the ear of an Othello-like Trump, consumed by jealousy and paranoia? As the questions mount around Russia, as the circles of defense begin to falter, the determination to create diversions will escalate. But if the President hoped he could create a distraction, I think he misjudged the will of the American people. We have woken. We are paying attention. And we love our country too much to let it falter without a fight. 3/20/17 If you are a praying person, today is a day to pray for the future of your country. I have seen a lot in my decades in the press, but I have never seen a day like this. This is a stress test for our democratic institutions and one can only hope that the system of checks and balances we hold so dear, can indeed hold. The statements by FBI Director James Comey in testimony today about Russian interference in the 2016 election were jaw dropping. It should be also noted that both he and NSA director, Adm. Mike Rogers, categorically denied that there was any evidence to support Mr. Trump's repeated allegations that Trump Tower was wiretapped by President Obama. That we do know. But it must be noted how much we do not know. We cannot afford to back off on investigating, fully, completely, and openly, allegations that are anathema to the spirit of our republic. But we cannot also afford to jump to conclusions. We want answers. We want to know more. That is natural. But patience will be required. It is better that this plays out in a systematic way. It is for all these reasons that I think a careful bipartisan investigation is essential. Mr. Trump's poll numbers dropped before this news, to below 40 percent. A blip? A trend? We will find out. If they continue to drop, many Republicans in Congress will likely go from support for Mr. Trump to agnosticism to maybe antagonism. That's what happened with Richard Nixon. In the meantime, it will be hard to see how President Trump will get much of his agenda through under this shadow. The power of the presidency is strong, but it is not impenetrable. Expect regular headlines about the Kremlin in your daily news feeds. For those of you old enough to remember the Cold War, this may seem like deja vu. But the nature of the threat is fundamentally different. In those days, there was a united front against Russian interference, overt or covert. Now there are serious and credible allegations about whether those close to Mr. Trump may have been colluding with the Kremlin. Colluding with the Kremlin, sounds like a spy novel, but it remains a big and unproven allegation. Let the facts point the way. And I hope men and women of all political faiths can rally to support the continual functioning of government in these surreal and dangerous times. 3/22/17 The plot thickens. The drum beats increase. The pressure mounts. And a question I never thought I would ever heard asked again with such urgency and stakes looms large: "What did the President know, and when did he know it?" The latest reporting out of CNN suggests the FBI has evidence that "associates of President Donald Trump communicated with suspected Russian operatives to possibly coordinate the release of information damaging to Hillary Clinton's campaign." It is impossible to overstate the seriousness of this allegation - Americans associated with Donald Trump illegally colluding with a foreign power. Once again, all the caveats must hold. This isn't proven. Allegations and suspicions are not an indictment. But with each turn of this story, the level of seriousness deepens. Add to this some unorthodox actions by the Republican head of the House Intelligence Committee, Devin Nunes, briefing President Trump on details of investigations, and we are long past having any excuse not to launch an open bipartisan investigation and a special prosecutor. I have seen a lot in my lifetime. But I have never seen anything like this. No one has. The cauldron of chaos and confusion which engulfs President Trump in his early days in office is simply unprecedented. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? The vote on the health care bill is shaping up to be its own mess. Can President Trump arm twist his own party members to deliver victory in the House? What last minute concessions will have to be made to bring along conservatives? Should we really be rushing a bill on heath care with major changes hammered out for politics instead of policy? What will this mean for the Senate? The White House is under siege. The President's poll numbers drop to record lows. The fires of scandal are encroaching. Around and around it goes, where it stops nobody knows. Dangerous times.

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Tim Kaine Drank Craft Beer and Jammed on the Harmonica at a Brewpub Last Night http://flip.it/CV7uxD

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How One Los Angeles Brewery Is Taking Over The Craft Brew World http://flip.it/ldsQpD

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The Many Scandals of Donald Trump: A Cheat Sheet http://flip.it/Qx8dHC

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The Fake $400 Million Iran ‘Ransom’ Story http://flip.it/zskgXv

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Where Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump stand on foreign-policy issues http://flip.it/2yTK96

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Poll: Young adults support new efforts to curb gun violence - SF Gate

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The speech President Trump would be giving if he were running for reelection http://flip.it/GzogD

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Yeah, this isn't the best publicity... Microsoft Surface blamed for NFL football playoffs meltdown - AppleInsider

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Economists thought Obamacare would kill full-time jobs. That's not happening. - Vox

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I think her chances of winning the Republican primaries are as good as Iowa's chances of winning the Rose Bowl.

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If California is such a hostile business climate, why is it kicking everyone else's ass (like Texas) http://flip.it/o9JDJ

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San Diego's 18-year wait to drink sea water may hinder deals - Chicago Tribune