As I sip a cup of freshly brewed DD medium roast coffee this morning, I think of what 'might have been.' I read Robert Mueller's Op Ed in the Washington Post with mixed emotions.
Mueller felt compelled to justify the integrity of the process and prosecution of Roger Stone in the light of Cheeto's commutation of Stone's sentence on Friday. A rare public comment from a normally 'invisible' guy. As I read his comments, I wondered (aka dreamed) about lost opportunities.
I was, as many of my friends, disappointed in the outcome of the Mueller investigation. I had high hopes that the misadventures (aka crimes) of Cheeto would be revealed and he would be subject to prosecution or at least a credible impeachment. Unfortunately, as we know, that was not the outcome. What is maddening is Mueller's own comments in his forced testimony to Congress. He said, "If we had had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so." In his convoluted way of addressing issues, this feels like another way of saying Trump was guilty of crimes. If as Justice Roberts said earlier this week, no man is above the law, why not finish the job?
Mueller was following long-standing DOJ policy against indicting a sitting president. Personally, I think the operative word here is "policy," not written law or case precedent, but I'm not a lawyer, just a pissed off voter who thinks Cheeto skated. I know all of the Mueller B.S. about a president not being able to defend himself if charged, so it is not 'fair' to charge him. This sure as hell doesn't feel like 'no one is above the law," but there I go repeating myself.
Sadly, it is water over the dam or water under the bridge - I never get that expression right. It is done, and we can't repeat what might have been. Unfortunately, Mueller's op ed brings back the whole saga which just didn't sit right for me and, in spite of Mueller's defense of the integrity of the process and the honesty of his team i feel it was incomplete. He punted the ball to Congress which has already demonstrated it is a body of invertebrates so we know how well that went.
I guess it is time for a second cup of coffee and another day of sheltering down.