E.J. Dionne Jr.: Mitch McConnell may be making the most important mistake of his career

[babylonsister]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/mitch-mcconnell-may-be-making-the-most-important-mistake-of-his-career/2017/05/10/7ea476f6-35ba-11e7-b4ee-434b6d506b37_story.html?tid=sm_fb&utm_term=.e4eda174eb07

Mitch McConnell may be making the most important mistake of his career
By E.J. Dionne Jr. Opinion writer May 10 at 4:19 PM

snip//

Is McConnell really sure he wants to stand with a man who will spew out attacks on anyone and everyone who gets in his way?

By contrast, many of McConnell’s Republican colleagues have begun disentangling their party from a presidency that is likely to end in a train wreck. Sen. Jeff Flake (Ariz.) said he spent “several hours trying to find an acceptable rationale for the timing of Comey’s firing. I just can’t do it.” Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (N.C.) said he was “troubled by the timing and reasoning of Director Comey’s termination.” Sen. Ben Sasse (Neb.) joined in calling the timing “very troubling.”

Someday, McConnell will wish that he sounded more like Flake, Burr, Sasse and similarly minded Republicans. They all are aware of how absurd it is for Trump to pretend that a concern over Comey’s behavior in the Hillary Clinton email investigation — the very behavior the president once praised as demonstrating Comey’s “guts” — is the actual reason for the firing.

snip//

In light of all that has happened in the intervening four months, the idea of Trump naming a new head of the FBI is even more disquieting. And it is beyond belief that anyone in the White House could think that the memo criticizing Comey on the Clinton probe from Rod J. Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, would be persuasive to Trump’s foes.

It has now emerged that days before he was fired, Comey had asked Rosenstein for more resources to investigate Russia’s role in the election. That seems a more credible reason for Comey’s firing than Trump’s solicitude for the woman he called “Crooked Hillary.” White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Fox News after the firing that the “bigger point” on the Trump/Russia inquiry was “when are they going to let that go” since “there’s nothing there.” Yes, getting us to let go of any hope that Trump will be held accountable is the real agenda.

Maybe McConnell figures he can reposition himself regarding Trump at the right time. But he missed his chance to stand up when it mattered.

[JNelson6563]

1. I believe this too.

This shit is going in the history books. McConnell will live on in infamy. #thatfucker

[JustAnotherGen]

3. Me three

[CentralMass]

2. McConnell has no integrity

[IADEMO2004]

4. Mitch McConnell (Vichyste)

[VigilantG]

5. Kompromat -- Russians also hacked RNC but

Have not released anything yet.

That is one major reason I see for the Repugs putting party over country. In addition to the many campaigns that were financed by Russians.

[lostnfound]

6. Agreed. And it makes it easy to pick off any one who gets out in front

Very few are clean enough, I bet, to not be worried about release of kompromat

[AgadorSparticus]

14. Well, won't they shit their pants when the people vote them out anyways?

Clearly Kompromat must be big for them to cowtow like this. Too bad they can't make a good decision as if their life depended on it (or, in this case, political life).

But it is probably more of them trying to stay out of jail.

[Vinca]

7. The Turtle and Eddie Munster are both siding with a man who may be treasonous.

It's fine to be party loyal, but you'd think loyalty to country would come first.

[ObamaDemocrat]

8. More ammo for 2018

We have to keep up the Resistance and look at winning back the House and the Senate. I do think the Dems have more seats to defend coming up. We need to defend all and flip. Keep the momentum going, keep exposing the lies. I doubt that Repubs are brave enough to impeach him unless there is a smoking gun found that either shows he directly colluded with Russia or tried to cover it up when he knew about it. Either way he is teetering on the edge and could be impeached for obstruction if they can prove the Comey firing was about Russia (which we know it was). With more Dems in Congress and the expanding horridness of his presidency, some Republicans will start thinking about their place in history and what side they want to be on if this mess keeps up.

[Javaman]

9. turtle boy is as thick into this russian mess as tRump.

there is no "saving himself".

his halfwittery has been building for a very long time, it's finally catching up to him.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

10. I wish Dionne etc all would stop giving ANY Republicans ANY credit for

Not immediately rolling over for Trump, until it's more than just wishy washy lip service! Because in the end they will not stand up to him!

[Initech]

11. I hope that if Trump goes, Ryan and McConnell go with him.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

12. McCONnell complicit (delayed hacking notice to electoral comms) & part of the coverup.

He's going down with the S. S. Trump ship.

[Kablooie]

13. My guess is that they have big plans for 2018.

They've been working for years to rig elections and now that they control everything you can bet they plan to overrun the 2018 election, perhaps with Russian help, so that they will remain in power forever. They have always yearned for the death of the democracy in favor of authoritarian control.

[world wide wally]

15. McConnell is not a turtle.

He is a fucking snake.
Turtles' reputations are far too good for him.

[muriel_volestrangler]

16. He's 75; he may not want to stand in 2020, and thinks there's more money in sucking up to Trump

than in opposing him in any way. Plus he can probably take revenge on more people by staying inside the Trump camp.

You have to ask: what would McConnell gain by sounding "more like Flake, Burr, Sasse and similarly minded Republicans"? Who would pay him for that? Are there people in the Trump camp he holds a grudge against? If not, then there'd be nothing in it for him.