The Unfettered Curmudgeon

Fear: Trump in the White House by Bob Woodward: A Review      I just finished reading Fear, Trump in the White House , by Bob Woodward over a period of four days. It is very well written, cited with source notes, and indexed. Mr. Woodward writes his book not so much as an expository essay or dissertation, but rather he tells a story of the Trump campaign and the Trump White House through spring of this year, with abundant quotations and descriptions of what has transpired, with remarkable clarity and honesty. He rarely offers analyses or opinions because quite honestly, his report doesn’t need such: the reader is able to clearly see things for themselves. All too familiar names and incidents from the news appear constantly, which are bound to allow the reader to become the proverbial “fly on the wall.” Beyond that, I think that anyone reading this book will be able to vividly imagine what is currently going on within the Oval Office and the White Hou...

MORNING THOUGHTS OVER COFFEE      It’s been a hell of a month here at “The Hermitage on ‘Walden,’” as well as for America and the world in general…all thanks to Donald Trump, who cannot seem to follow protocol or control himself either verbally or in his “tweets.” First of all, who in their right mind, what President and supposed “leader of the free world” conducts foreign and domestic policy on “Twitter?” I would suppose it is the “Twit-in-Chief” and as he referred to himself a few days ago in a tweet, “your favorite President.” Not mine!      At the beginning of the month EPA Administer Scott Pruitt resigned as directed by Trump amid some fifteen federal investigations for various ethics violations and scandals. The next day Trump appointed Andrew Wheeler, Pruitt’s right-hand henchman to Pruitt’s vacant post. Then there were the various attacks on NATO and numerous of its members, followed by denials, followed by various “asides” by Trump of t...