What the Testimony Told Us and Why Congress Ought to be Ashamed
Are we a nation of laws or not? Could it be that some men are really above the law? Do our values and national principles Trump a party’s political calculations? Was Robert Mueller ever the great prosecutor and investigator Democrats said he was? Is all of this even worth the attention?
These are the questions still spinning in my head after watching the long-awaited Congressional testimony of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, the person that was supposed to tell us if the President of the United States colluded with Russia and if that collusion led to him cheating his way into the White House. This spectacle should have told us if the President obstructed justice to keep the truth hidden. After looking past the grandstanding, juvenile political point-scoring, and the extremely terrible format, we found at least part of our answer. The Special Counsel told us that the President lied and interfered in the investigation as to obstruct the outcome.
The most powerful person in the world, the leader of the free world, and the man with his finger on the world’s largest stockpile of nuclear weapons was and still is an outright criminal. I hope we also see that not many of our elected representatives either side of the aisle really gives a damn about so-called American values.
Yep, as of now, it seems that it’s all been a lie. Both House Republicans and Democrats showed us that they could really care less about the truth.
Where was the “country first†Republican Party? This is the same group of people that considered a customary bow from then-President Obama a threat to national security. They were so strict on their stance on protecting America and our image across the world that they questioned the color of a man’s suit and his wife’s sleeveless blouse. Now, look at them, bending over for the likes of a lying, cheating draft dodger. Ronald Reagan has to be rolling over in his grave. Just look at the way they treated Mr. Mueller, the elderly statesman, a man that has served his country for the better part of 50 years, a war hero. They ought to be ashamed of themselves.
Democrats don’t get a pass either. By watching them, with the exception of a few members, it seemed as if this was simply a formality. Almost none of them wanted substantive answers, and they oozed a lack of passion for the subject matter. The Democrats were in charge of the format, so I can’t figure out why the 5-minute shot clock type questioning style was still in play in such a serious hearing. It looks like they have decided that our laws don’t matter, and the only thing that matters is winning the next election.
I call BS. If you are going to have a hearing as anticipated as this one, you better damn sure act like you wanted to win this battle. Softball question after softball question, settling for none answers and canned responses meant to deflect, is not the reason their voters put them in office. Do they not remember how the questions came in both Bill and Hilary Clinton’s congressional hearings? If you are not going to fight for the truth like the late Ted Kennedy, then just tell your voters such so they can know exactly where you stand. Pick a damn side and state your position. I’m sick and tired of seeing the Pelosi clan show up to a gunfight carrying paper swords. Any representative that will sacrifice the rule of law, the constitution, and/or simply doing the right thing even when it’s hard, is not fit for a sit in government. They too, ought to be ashamed of themselves.
The biggest loser on the entire subject of obstruction and collusion is the American people. This country, with all its imperfections, has always been the shining beacon of light on a hill, the hope for what is right and fair in this world. That light has dimmed a bit recently. Our elections are not sacred, our president is not fit to lead a Boy Scout troop, and our elected officials are more concerned about their own political positions than they are about the needs and desires of those who picked them to speak for us.
It’s said that the Constitution is a living breathing document that can be adjusted to improve this nation for us all. I believe that the same could be said for every blade of grass, every speck of sand, and every drop of water that cover all 50 states country. Powered by the blood and sacrifice of those who came before us like the men who risked treason to cross and ocean rebel for a better existence, the slaves who bent the knee and broke their backs until freedom came, the men who took up arms against their own blood and their own brothers, watering this great land with their blood to bring that freedom, to the men and boys drafted into wars that would take them to foreign lands to make their final resting place, dying and never seeing the works of their selfless deed. We owe them accountability and the roar of our voices in the face of injustice. Not only those in Washington, but we are failing them as well by allowing such a show. For that, we ought to be ashamed.      Â
Writer’s Note: This article is an opinion and does not directly represent the views of the editors of this publication.
