Two new revelations have come out this week about the Trump presidency. Venerable journalist Bob Woodward is publishing a book based on multiple interviews with administration principals called "Fear: Trump in the White House," and yesterday the New York Times ran an anonymous editorial written by a high-ranking administration official. Both reinforce the perception of an amoral and mentally unstable leader in charge of the world's most powerful nation.
The Times op-ed describes a network of administration insiders who like some of Trump's policies, such as deregulation, tax cuts for business and the wealthy, and an expanded military, yet who have formed a "resistance" to protect the country. These insiders are appalled at such things as Trump's lack of principles, affinity for enemy dictators, hostility to civil liberties such as freedom of the press, going off the rails at important meetings to neglect important business and turn proceedings into extended personal tirades, and penchant for issuing dangerous and reckless orders. The author relates that this internal "resistance" has "vowed to do what we can to preserve our democratic institutions while thwarting Mr. Trump's more misguided impulses until he is out of office."
Even more remarkable, the writer discusses how administration officials even considered invoking the 25th Amendment against Trump. The 25th sets out a procedure for removing a president from office in case the person is or becomes unfit for office and incapable of carrying out the responsibilities it entails, whether from physical, or more germane to this presidency, mental reasons. They decided not to because, "no one wanted to precipitate a constitutional crisis."
The author portrays these administration insiders as heroes, saving the country from the excesses of an imbalanced and dangerous president, but that is not an accurate assessment. They are instead enablers, complicit in the danger and insanity. It is good they recognize the 45th president for the unfit menace he is. It is also good when they step in and get in the way of his crazier impulses. But real heroes would take the next step: knowing that a madman is in office who has the power to cause lasting national and even international havoc, up to and including the power to initiate global nuclear war, they would act to use the constitutional tools at their disposal to remove this menace from any position of authority in the government of the United States. Knowing what they know, anything less is only cowardice.
