The Firing of James Comey: This Is Not a Drill (Frum/Atlantic)

[wildeyed]

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/05/this-is-not-a-drill/526056/

The firing of FBI director James Comey poses a question: Will the law will answer to the president, or the president to the law?

Who can sincerely believe that President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey for any reason other than to thwart an investigation of serious crimes? Which crimes—and how serious—we can only guess.

The suggestion that Comey was fired to punish him for overzealously mishandling the Clinton email investigation appears laughable: Just this morning, Trump’s social media director Dan Scavino gleefully proposed to release video of Hillary Clinton’s concession call in order to hurt and humiliate her—and top Trump aide Kellyanne Conway laughed along with him.

No, this appears to be an attack on the integrity—not just of law enforcement—but of our defense against a foreign cyberattack on the processes of American democracy. The FBI was investigating the Trump campaign’s collusion with Russian espionage. Trump’s firing of Comey is an apparent attempt to shut that investigation down.

[mcar]

1. So many good points

Now comes the hour of testing. Will the American system resist? Or will it be suborned?

The question has to be asked searchingly of the Republican members of Congress: Will you allow a president of your party to attack the integrity of the FBI? You impeached Bill Clinton for lying about sex. Will you now condone and protect a Republican administration lying about espionage?

[wildeyed]

2. Who would have thought Frum would step up like this.

He was always one of the few conservatives I could read because, although he is wildly wrong about many things, he is not knee-jerk racist. I could focus on the wrongness of his arguments instead of boiling about the dog whistles. But he is good at Trump-hate and I figure if he is freaked, there might be good reason. The enemy of the my enemy....

I hope he speaks to moderate Republicans if there are any of those left.

[mcar]

3. He's more a true conservative than a Republican

and there's a big difference now. I used to like to read conservative columnists because I wanted to contemplate their thoughtful opinions. Then they all became shills and were unreadable.

A few of them are moving back to true philosophy rather than party and power.

[wildeyed]

4. Neo-con.

Blech. But politics is weird. The specter of a Russian-compromised president is so much worse, it seems quaint to worry about old wounds now.

[mcar]

5. I know

We have to take support for the country where we can get it. It'll be few and far between from any RWers.

[hatrack]

6. Who paved the road? Who lowered the standards? Who provided the kerosene and matches?

And who did so for years and years and years?

"Principled conservatives" like David Frum.

And now, looking at the smoking ruin so many years in the making, he's all concerned.

That's nice.