As we await Thursday's heavily-redacted release of the Barr version of the Mueller investigation, let's take a moment to review some of the highly ridiculous moments from the last week or so...
First, just to get it out of the way, there is the upcoming Barr Report. Wags in DC are betting on how much will be redacted - 5%? 10%? 25%? The Attorney General (R- Roy Cohn) is now the president's fixer and smear artist. These are Cohn skill sets that Trump had been seeking since Jeff Sessions recused himself early in 2017. T wants a protector, a consigliere to keep him out of trouble. Barr, a veteran of previous GOP coverups and quid pro quo pardons (hello, "Bank of Fear" and Iran-Contra perpetrators; hi there, Saddam Hussein money pipeline), is that guy. Plus, he is fine with throwing the FBI under the bus for his boss by claiming they were "spying" on Trump's campaign. He knows what makes his boss happy.
And considering that AG Barr has already stated that his report would redact anyone who hasn't been charged because of a concern about damaging any reputations, well... I'd say the degree of redactions should be around 75%.
For more on our the Attorney General and his upcoming dump, take a couple of minutes to read Republican strategist Rick Wilson's short but masterful take on Barr, "The Most Dangerous Man In America":
https://www.thedailybeast.com/william-barr-is-the-most-dangerous-man-in-america?ref=home
Hoo boy. Barr knows how "to throw up chaff to confuse the results of the Mueller report that may somehow see the light of day." Yes, this guy is a real danger, a weaponized tool for the administration's march towards Autocracy. But we can still laugh about it, right? Check out The Onion's expose on how Barr intends to portray the Mueller investigation via "interpretive dance" and "abstract visuals".
https://politics.theonion.com/william-barr-agrees-to-release-nonverbal-abstract-visu-1834004014
Also this from Oliver Willis: What would Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys do with such obstruction?
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1116712517684928514.html
"Frank and Joe Hardy were troubled as Nancy recounted Principal Barr's reaction. 'Maybe we can issue a sternly worded letter,' Frank suggested unhelpfully. Joe floated the idea of a national strike." Funny stuff.
Speaking of funny stuff, what about Wikileaks' Julian Assange? Or is it really retired talk show host David Letterman who is in custody?
The far left and far right's favorite Russian cut-out was finally ousted from his Ecuadorian embassy digs. He had been warned many times about cleaning his bathroom and changing his cat's kitty litter box. Honest. And then he started smearing poo on his apartment walls.
Once again, The Onion is on the case. Their London correspondents have spotted a "new apartment' advert on several local flat-sharing websites:
https://www.theonion.com/ecuadorian-embassy-runs-ad-seeking-no-drama-tenant-fo-1833979539
Adding on to the Assange jollity is one of our favorites, Molly Jong-Fast. She ponders how in the Harry Potter series, it was Harry who had lived for years tucked in a cupboard beneath the stairs. In this version, it is Dumbledore. And he's a Russian cut-out:
https://twitter.com/MollyJongFast/status/1116400048290635776
Her followers' comments are good. "You're an asset, Harry." "I have one of those dudes on my front lawn, but he's a little smaller and wears a funny hat." "Thank the lord these pics aren't scratch and sniff." "What did they do with his razor?"
Elsewhere, there was the curious moment when the Trumps and the Macrons visited Mt. Vernon for a dinner there. Yes, this is truly bizarre:
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/04/10/donald-trump-mount-vernon-george-washington-1264073
It really is difficult to believe that a president lacks the fundamental knowledge about his predecessors, from first to last. His awareness of our first President seems severely restricted. Staff there said the Macrons seemed more informed than the Trumps. He asked if Washington were "really rich" and became much more interested when he was told that GW had been very rich.
But while walking through the mansion, T began to compile critiques. Rooms were too small. Stairways were too narrow. There were some uneven spots on the floor. "I could have built the place better, for less money." And something else -- why was the place named Mt. Vernon?
“If he was smart, he would’ve put his name on it,” Trump said, according to three sources briefed on the exchange. “You’ve got to put your name on stuff or no one remembers you.”
Yes, no one remembers George Washington. Meanwhile, in New York City, the last of six "Trump Place" buildings removed his name from its edifice. Oh, Ozymandias!
And as the days continue, the daily count for Lies and Disinformation continues to accumulate. Daniel Dale of the Toronto Star has been keeping a nifty ledger that is easy to follow. Check it out:
http://projects.thestar.com/donald-trump-fact-check/index.html
As of last week, it was up to 4857 false claims. The Washington Post has also been tracking the falsehoods. Their count is higher, because they include "misleading" claims. The figure is at 9,451 instances as of April 1. That's a lot of BS.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/04/01/president-trump-has-made-false-or-misleading-claims-over-days/?utm_term=.6fd2c22f78a0
There were a lot of other highly ridiculous items that crossed the news wire over the last several days. One that stuck out was a quote from Stephen Moore, the "economist" who Trump wants to put onto the Federal Reserve Board (thankfully, Herman Cain has been pulled from further consideration). Moore, someone who loves simple answers for complicated problems, said "Capitalism is a lot more important than Democracy." This statement had to warm the heart of our autocratic president.
Yes, highly ridiculous. But before ending things, let's take a quick stroll through a Really Unsettling Thread by David Rothkopf. There are no laughs here. And I have to agree with him on just about all the counts he makes in this quick read:
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1116811681462616065.html
Wowzers. "The President and his men began asserting that they were above the law - and effectively no one in our system did anything about it." That about sums things up. It is really a remarkable summation of the last week's events.
Finally, to end on a bright note, let's behold the glory of The Badpiper! It's a clip from his street performance somewhere in Scotland. His grand finale, blasting flames from his bagpipes, is AC/DC's "Thunderstruck", a tune long-time White Sox fans will recognize as the pre-game intro music to their pathetic team's exercise in futility.
Right there, that's entertainment!
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