When a POTUS is a POS.

Was there ever a time when our nation had a pure and worthy leader? Our schools and traditions have taught us that the Presidency is inhabited by the best and the brightest, men (and someday women) of high moral character who place our country above all else. This idea is usually framed around a patriotic celebration of The Genius of our Democracy.

But as we step back from this exultation of American Exceptionalism and get a closer view of the real people who have worked in the Oval Office, we see all sorts of flaws and wrinkles. Just take a quick spin of Chief Executives from World War I through today and you'll find something not nice or commendable about each one:

Wilson - Racist.
Harding - Corruption enabler extraordinaire and reprobate.
Coolidge - Spoke more than he governed, cared more about Big Business.
Harding -  Didn't stop Great Depression when he could have.
Roosevelt - Japanese-American Internments,  curtailed Jewish refugees.
Truman - Korea, attempted nationalization of the steel industry, Loyalty Boards.
Eisenhower - Dragged feet on McCarthyism, ignored major social issues. CIA/Iran.
Kennedy - Reprobate, Bay of Pigs.
Johnson - Viet Nam, crass vulgarian.
Nixon - Political exploiter and divider, Viet Nam, Watergate.
Ford -  Pardoned Nixon, kinda dim.
Carter - When he hit that rabbit with an oar.
Reagan - Racism enabler, Iran/Contra, Trickle Down BS.
Bush - Forgot about domestic issues.
Clinton - Reprobate.
Bush 2 - Helmed greatest foreign policy blunder, 2nd worst economic calamity in US History.
Obama - Frosty towards Congress. Wore a tan suit once. Likes arugula.

Of course, nearly all these Presidents had copious and compelling positive traits that propelled them into office. Most were elected as strong leaders with sterling character; their shortcomings usually were revealed in office.  Which brings us to our current Chief Executive.  Yesterday, two days before July 4th, he released a Presidential tweet that appears to, well, just look:

Trump taking down CNN outside wrestling ring

Remember, too, that his Press Secretary has said that Trump's tweets are official statements. It's no accident that this hostile tweet appeared - it's all part of the plan. Even more of interest is that the President apparently follows an alt-Right Twitter guy who created the inflammatory GIF. And he is a virulent anti-Semite:

Trump's twitter guy posted this bigoted CNN tweet

Wow, that's some major ugly. But it's not surprising that our Tweeter-in-Chief has attracted the Worst and the Vilest. What is surprising is that 35%+ of Americans seem to think that this is all OK. It has been said to a sickening degree that Trump supporters love him because 'he says what they are thinking.' Let's review, then, some representative statements that he has said over the last couple of years so we have a better idea what they are thinking:

"(Mexican immigrants) are bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists - and some, I assume are good people." (6/16/15)  Retweeted "#JebBush has to like Mexican illegals because of his wife." (7/4/15)  Re: when a homeless Latino man was beaten in Boston by his supporters: "I will say that people who are following me are very passionate. They love this country and they want this country to be great again. They are passionate." (8/20/15)

"(John McCain) is not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who aren't captured." (6/18/15)

Fox News Megan Kelly's menstruation: "You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever." (8/7/15)

On Carly Fiorina: "Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that - the face of our next president?" (8/14/15)

Re: getting military advice - "Well, I watch the (Sunday political) shows. I mean, I really see a lot of great - you know, when you watch your show and all of the other shows..." (8/16/15)

We have to "strongly consider" shutting down mosques. (11/16/15). "Would certainly implement a database system tracking Muslims in the U.S. Absolutely." Should Muslims be legally obligated to register onto the database? "They have to be - they have to be." (11/20/15) Advocated a complete shutdown of Muslims entering the U.S. (12/7/15)

Claimed to have watched on 9/11 "Jersey City, NJ, where thousands and thousands of people were cheering as (the WTC) was coming down. Thousands of people were cheering... there's a heavy Arab population." (11/22/15)

On a protestor being physically attacked at a rally for chanting "Black Lives Matter": "Maybe (he) should have been roughed up. It was absolutely disgusting what he was doing..." (11/21/15)

Mocked a physically disabled reporter at a rally: "... written by a nice reporter - now the poor guy, you gotta see this guy (gesticulates) 'Aah, I don't know what I said! I don't remember!' He's going 'I don't remember!'" (11/25/15)

Re: answer to 'which component of our Nuclear Triad' defense is the most important': "I think - I think, for me, nuclear is just the power, the devastation is very important to me." (12/15/15)

To the Republican Jewish Coalition: "I'm a negotiator, like you folks. Is there anyone who doesn't renegotiate deals in this room? Perhaps more than any room I've spoken to... (but) You're not going to support me because I don't want your money. You want to control your own politician." (12/3/15)

Re: Trump University lawsuit - "There's a hostility toward me by the judge. Tremendous hostility, beyond belief. I believe he happens to be Spanish... He's Hispanic." (2/16)  "I think (he) should be ashamed of himself. The judge, who happens to be, we believe, Mexican..." (5/27/16)

Re: rally violence - ""... if you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of them, would you? Seriously. Okay? Just knock the hell - I promise you, I will pay the legal fees." (2/1/16)  "There's a guy, totally disruptive, throwing punches, we're not allowed to punch back anymore. I love the old days. You know what they used to do to guys like that when they were in a place like this? They'd be carried out on a stretcher, folks. I'd like to punch him in the face." (2/23/16)

Re: disavowing Racists, KKK and David Duke - "I don't know, did he endorse me or what's going on, because, you know, I know nothing about David Duke. I know nothing about white supremacists. I have to look at the guy... you wouldn't want me to condemn a group that I know nothing about..." (2/28/16)

Re: his private parts - "He referred to my hands. If they are small, something else must be small. I guarantee you there is no problem. I guarantee." (3/3/16)

Re: If abortions were illegal - "The answer is that there has to be some form of punishment. There has to be some form." (3/30/16)

Attacked Khizr Kane, Gold Star father of deceased hero Army captain, for speaking out on Trump's bigotry: "If you look at his wife, she was standing there. She had nothing to say. She probably, maybe she wasn't allowed to have anything to say. You tell me." (7/28/16)

And then... he became the Republican candidate for President. And his rallies and rhetoric never dimmed in their repugnancy. And he became our President.

But wait! It wasn't like Donald Trump was a blank slate when he announced his candidacy in 2015. Here are some well-known tid-bits about our Schmuck-in-Chief:

"I think the guy is lazy. And it's probably not his fault because laziness is a trait in blacks. It really is, I believe that. It's not anything they can control." DT to John O'Donnell, former prez of Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino.

Re: his relationship with the NY media: "You know, it doesn't really matter what they write as long as you've got a young and beautiful piece of ass."

Re: Olympic champion Katarina Witt - "She could only be described as attractive if you like a woman with a bad complexion who is built like a linebacker."

Re: Women in general - "You have to treat them like shit" (New York magazine, 1992) "I think that putting a wife to work is a very dangerous thing."

Re: Princess Diana - "I think I could have nailed Princess Di." (Howard Stern show, 1997)

On his power over women: "They'll walk up, they'll flip their top and they'll flip their panties." (2008)

Re: The "Trump Rule" - He had Miss USA contestants parade past him so he could separate those he found attractive. "Many of the girls found this exercise humiliating. Some of the girls were sobbing backstage after he left.. it was as though they had been stripped bare." (Carrie Prejean, Miss USA runner-up, 2009)

After she wrote about rumors of a DT bankruptcy, NYT's Gail Collins received some mail from Trump - the article, with her picture circled and "face of a dog" written on it. (2011)

Gosh, we're just dipping into the incredibly deep poison pool of the mindset of our President. Suffice to say this post is already too long and too disgusting. As we prepare to celebrate our country's Independence Day, reflect on its meaning. We are governed within a realm of Reality TV, ruled by the norms of Professional Wrestling. And while we become inured by the daily outrages from our President, he and the Republican Party are pushing forward plans to dismantle the EPA, repeal the Affordable Care Act with no one knows, and making permanent their voter suppression schemes.

What would Superman say?