We may have an answer:
WHY WOULD A PRESIDENT DISPLAY HIS TREASON SO PUBLICLY?
This is probably unfair to poodles. In fact, close readers of this blog will recall that Cat and I try not to fall into Trump’s practice of comparing humans to other lifeforms, because his references to “animals” and “infestations” are meant to demean those he’s talking about.
A more accurate description is that Trump is Putin’s Puppet, which is both alliterative and descriptive of the hold that Russia’s dictator-in-fact has over America’s dictator-in-waiting.
Which brings us back to the question: Why would Trump participate – in fact, arrange - a photo op that would so starkly illustrate his treasonous relationship to Putin?
Do they communicate by cellphone, email, UPS packages? Does the Russian secret service hide messages in golf balls delivered to Trump’s country clubs? Do the Russians run a flock of carrier pigeons?
Whatever the means, it seems logical that both sides – Putin’s spooks and Trump’s traitors – probably worry about security breaches.
There's always the possibility that the professional listeners at the National Security Agency, the CIA or Google will stumble on the president’s secret communications. Or, that a turncoat will leak an actual record of Putin’s instructions.
So, what better forum than a personal, private get together, staged as a “summit” or “meeting” between two heads of state?
One of the things that Cat and I worried about is the fate of the translators, the only ones allowed in the room other than the “principals.” Might they be disappeared in the near future to ensure that absolutely no one will be around to testify as to what was discussed?
It’s possible, too, there were no verbal instructions, but that Putin delivered written puppeteer-to-puppet directions, specially tailored to Trump’s reading habits, meaning few words and many pictures. Which could mean that the translators had little to translate, so that perhaps they’ll enjoy ordinary life spans.
Cat badly wants a transcript of today’s private meeting, as well as those of the earlier communications, made public. He thinks that the actual words will be convincing, even to Trump’s “base,” those voters whose opinions matter more than those of any other Americans. (When was the last time news reporters went to a local diner to find out what's on liberals' minds?)
Frankly, I doubt that base people will ever change their minds, no matter how awful the deed and how authentic the proof. The base is a political cult. Anything Putin's Puppet says or does is fine with the base.
"Take away our medical care. Promote racial division. Impose tariffs that will screw my small business and raise prices of what I buy. Tax me more and rich people less. If you want to Make America Russia, we're here to cheer Putin’s tanks when they head down Pennsylvania Avenue and when the Russian helicopters land on the South Lawn."
Further, in my opinion, we don’t need secret reports, more Mueller indictments or leaked hotel videos to know what the Puppet is up to.
Trump’s treason is carried out in full view, just as was the case today, with the Puppet declaring Russia's misdeeds as reported by our intelligence agencies to be suspect, Russia's treachery to be a shared responsibility, and Putin to be a genuine leader and an admirable one at that.
What terrifies me is that even with all of what is going on in public, that the public won’t care.
After today's press conference, most of us just went back to regular programming, when we should have taken to the streets.
It sometimes seems like the Trump catastrophe is just another scary TV series, not the real life Puppet Show leading our democracy over a cliff.
We should be marching, not recapping the World Cup, or wondering about the deals offered by Amazon Prime, or reading reviews of the latest Netflix series. We should be demanding that Congress do its job, Republican toadies included. The radios should be playing solemn music.
We should not be going to the beach, reading a book, dining out or otherwise trying to escape the nightmare of the Putin Puppet Show.
We are under attack.
And Putin's Puppet has just received new orders.