No leader, no problem; no problem, no chaos…  Excuse me?  What chaos?  There is no chaos; this administration is a fine-tuned, smooth operating machine.  You don’t believe us?  Just ask our leader.  Oh, No leader?  No problem; no problem, no chaos…  Excuse me?  What chaos?  There is no chaos; this administration is a fine-tuned, smooth operating machine.  You don’t believe us?  Just ask our leader…  We’re caught in this ridiculous Trump administration spokespersons cycle, so the only logical deduction here folks – at least according to them, is that there is no problem.  Stop this endless searching; there is no ‘there’ there!  You’re wasting your time!  Even if Mr. Trump and some members of his administration did collude with the Russians; and even if they still are colluding with them, it’s not like the United States never tried to influence other countries elections or to bring down regimes, right?  Then why have we now become so consumed with righteous indignation?

That is a small part of the takeaway that I got from an article that I recently read in The Hill by Jonathan Turley.  Maybe Mr. Turley has a point and perhaps we should try not to be so indignant about the situation on the whole.  But that does not mean that we should step back and say that everything is hunky-dory because, after all, there is no denying that the United States has certainly done the same thing.  It might be easier to take that magnanimous step backwards if we were talking about someone other than Mr. Trump as our president; but we are not.  Even if we were talking about someone other than Mr. Trump, it would still be a tough pill to swallow because, despite what the United States has done, the thought of America possibly being controlled and manipulated by Russian president Vladimir Putin in his pursuit to change the world order is unbearable.

It is even worse when one thinks about the fact that we do not have an experienced politician as president who might have some nefarious scheme of his own in mind, since that is the way that the game is played, that has the best interest of America at heart.  And that this president, no matter how much we might dislike him and disagree with his politics and policies, is only luring Mr. Putin in.  And once he takes the bait, he can hook him and land him before he can break the surface, spin, twist and turn and throw the line because, once hooked, he has realized that he was duped: he knows that his plan has been foiled and that it is imperative that he breaks free before he is netted and served up on America’s terms.  We are Americans so it should come as no surprise  to anyone that we want what is best for America!  Sure, maybe we should lose the righteous indignation but certainly not our determination to get to the bottom of this Trump, Russia situation.

Anyway, instead of that experienced politician just mentioned – who would better understand Mr. Putin and his motives, we have the “if he says nice things about me, I’m going to say nice things about him” guy.  We are in a terrible situation!  Mr. Trump is just as mismatched in this situation as a politician with no real estate experience would be if they were going up against Mr. Trump in bidding for and negotiating a real estate deal.  It’s ridiculous!  Who do you think would win in that competition?  To top off the Trump versus Putin situation, the possibility exists that Mr. Trump has been compromised by Russia.  There is no proof that this is the case but there certainly is plenty of circumstantial evidence that it is.  That is why a completely above-board, bi-partisan, non-political investigation must be conducted to flesh out the truth.

Perhaps it is just a coincidence that many of the people that Mr. Trump is putting on his cabinet are somehow linked to and liked by president Putin.  Perhaps it is a coincidence that Mr. Trump does not want the American people to see his tax returns.  Perhaps it is a coincidence that Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin’s interests closely mirror each other and perhaps it is a coincidence that Mr. Trump steadfastly refuses to criticize Mr. Putin.  Be that as it may, it is a glaring distraction that needs to be cleared up so that Mr. Trump and the congress and senate can effectively govern.  There are many problems, domestic and foreign, that need to be addressed.

Those seasoned Republican politicians in the congress and senate who are now in full control of the government know this.  They know how dangerous the situation is that America is in yet they are willing to risk protecting Mr. Trump for as long as possible in order to further the Republican agenda.  It seems that they have worked out their political calculus regarding abandoning Mr. Trump just before he drives America off the cliff.  They have established their political calculus for implementing those things that the American people will find distasteful and possibly punish them for come the 2018 and 2020 elections by pushing the implementation of some out just beyond 2018 and others just beyond 2020 to avoid that punishment.  They are counting on voters to have short memories.

What if they are wrong in their calculus?  It will be bad for them if they are wrong about voters having short memories because they might not get reelected.  But it could be catastrophic if they are wrong about and have underestimated how quickly Mr. Trump will reach that inevitable cliff!  Whether or not they come to their senses and change course before it is too late, they should and must still be held to account for what has already happened to America and our reputation as a country.  We must not have short memories and fall for the same old political BS that too many of us have always fallen for.  It is far past time that we take our responsibilities as citizens seriously.  It is time that we get engaged, stay engaged, stay informed, have long memories and do our part as citizens to protect this great Democracy!

So always remember; whether you are a Democrat, Republican or Independent, your vote is the most important one of all…unless you don’t use it!  So let’s hold our politicians accountable in all things but especially in putting America ahead of party and politics.

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line