Stacking the Deck

Ignore any rumors regarding the possible dismissal, by the Senate, of the Articles of Impeachment.

About a week ago, two Republican Senators told CNN that, should a majority of their colleagues feel the impeachment trial had run its course, the vote would be to acquit Mr. Trump.  Not to dismiss - to acquit.  As in he'd be off the hook completely.

Putin Told Him

Yesterday evening, the Washington Post published a report on Donald Trump's conversion experience - from Russia meddling with our elections, to Ukraine having done so.

According to the Post, members of the Administration asked  Mr. Trump why he'd decided it was Ukraine, not Russia, who'd tinkered with our voting in 2016.  Pressed for a response, he said "Putin told me".

You Go, Girl

Speaker Nancy Pelosi's mastery of tactics  continues to amaze and delight.

Yesterday and again this morning, she made it clear that, without some cooperation from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, she would not forward to the Senate the Articles of Impeachment approved yesterday by the House.  Pelosi wants a better understanding of how a Senate trial will be structured, as part of putting together a team of prosecutors for that trial.  (Note: there's already a set of general guidelines for such events.)

So Much for Objectivity

Sycophant in Chief Senator Lindsay Graham (R - SC) makes not the slightest pretense of fairness regarding the upcoming impeachment trial of Donald Trump.  This thing will come to the Senate, and it will die quickly, and I will do everything I can to make it die quickly, Graham said Saturday.

If you'd like more on what to expect from Republicans in the next few days, click here

Senate Resolution 16

It's like a play-by-play before the game even begins.  The Senate of the 106th Congress (1999 - 2000) set the procedural rules for the impeachment trial of Bill Clinton.  That Senate was dominated by Republicans, as is ours.  So it's not illogical to assume that the rules established then will pertain now.

Thank the Universe for the freedoms upon which this country was founded.  Include freedom of the press, and of information in general.  All of which is my way of saying there's a voluminous copy of the 1999 Senate rules and proceedings; it's a PDF of 1247 pages.  If you want to dig into it, I'd recommend you concentrate on Volume II: Floor Trial Proceedings.  That section runs from page 773 through page 1195 within the PDF.

Given the recent behavior of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, we may have to hold him and his colleagues in the Senate jury to these long-since-established  rules.