#25THAMENDMENT

It is time for congress to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Donald Trump from office.

Over the course of this past week the president has once again engaged in behavior that legitimately calls into question his fitness to serve.

While vacationing in the plush confines of his Bedminster golf resort the president took to twitter to denigrate the leadership of Carmen Yulin Cruz, the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico.  A woman who was wading chest deep in flood waters and human waste to rescue her constituents from homes ravaged by a category 5 hurricane.  Her mortal sin…criticizing the federal government’s slow response to the catastrophe and begging the government to speed up their relief efforts to her ravaged community.  The president referred to the mayor and the victims of the storm as “ingrates” who “want everything done for them rather than stepping up to make it a community effort.”  During his visit to the ravaged island the president told residents they were fortunate to have only lost 16 lives as compared “to a REAL catastrophe like Katrina where thousands lost their lives.”  The president told residents to “have a good time”  before playfully flipping what he later referred to as “beautiful, soft rolls of paper towels” to the impoverished residents.  Four hours into his scheduled 5 1/2 hour visit…he left.

It is customary for the president to host an annual dinner in honor of the military commandants serving throughout the world.  This year THIS president decided to use his military officers as a political prop. Flanked by his commandants and their wives during a photo-op, the president pointed to his officers and said to reporters:  “You see this.  This is what is called the calm before the storm.”  When pressed to explain what he meant by the comment the president smiled, winked and said:  “You’ll find out soon.”

Stephen Paddock opens fire on 22,000 concert goers in Las Vegas.  The gunman kills 58 and wounds 487 in what will be the worst mass shooting in American history.  The president offers condolences to the families of the victims but refuses to engage in the politics of gun control; dismissing reporter’s inquiries with: “Now is not the time.”  He later said that while Paddock’s actions were horrible Paddock himself “was probably smart.”  So…the guy who kills or wounds over 500 Americans “was probably smart”  but the San Juan mayor wading through sewage to rescue imperiled citizens is “not very capable”…(she) did not do a very good job…in fact did a very poor job.”

The president is still fuming over NFL players taking a knee during the pre-game playing of our National Anthem.  The president orders the Vice President Mike Pence to fly from Las Vegas to Indianapolis to attend the Indianapolis Colts game where their opponent, the San Francisco 49ers, are certain to kneel during the anthem.  Pence arrives and abruptly leaves the stadium in protest as the players take a knee.  He heads to the airport where Air Force II will whisk him off to California for a fund raiser.  The entire incident is a pre-planned political stunt to demonstrate the administration’s opposition to the NFL’s refusal to discipline players over what the president views is a lack of respect for the nation and the flag.  Pence tweets that he could not stand by while others show such disrespect for the flag and the nation.  Trump tweets that he is proud of the VP for taking a stand.  Talk about showing a lack of respect for the flag…where was Pence when candidate Trump was disparaging a Gold Star mother or ridiculing a war hero who happens to be the senior senator from Arizona?   Where was Pence when the president shirked his duty as Commander-in-Chief by denying any responsibility for a failed SEAL mission that resulted in the death of a military officer?  And did these two consider the hundreds of thousands of tax payer dollars it cost to move the VP and his security team back and forth across the country?  Not too mention the cost to local law enforcement and the inconvenience to those patrons attending the game and the community as a whole?

Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) is one of the most powerful men in Washington.  Concerned over the inflammatory rhetoric and dangerously  dysfunctional behavior emanating from the White House and frustrated by his colleagues unwillingness to speak truth to power; Corker has decided not to run for re-election.  Unencumbered by any long term career concerns Corker finally said publically what members of congress have been whispering behind closed doors since the inauguration.  Corker said that the president has not demonstrated “the stability of competence he needs to be successful.”  Corker said Tillerson, Kelly and Mattis  “are those people that separate our country from chaos.”  He accused Trump of running the presidency “like a realty show” and that Trump’s rhetoric “could set the US on a path toward WWIII.”  Trump responded by attacking Corker on twitter; alleging Corker begged Trump to support his re-election campaign after begging Trump to appoint him Secretary of State.  Two assertions that were proven false by numerous sources.  Corker’s twitter response to Trump’s lies was classic and telling:  “It’s a shame that the White House has become an adult day care center.  Someone obviously missed their shift this morning.”  Trump needs the powerful Tennessee senator if he is to have any hope of passing his tax reform bill or formerly ending Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran.  But this president is more interested in engaging in sophomoric revenge tweets than passing meaningful legislation for the American people.

This past week offered more irrefutable proof that this president is unfit to serve.  Bob Corker, a Republican and Trump supporter, spoke truth to power.  We can only hope that Corker’s courage is contagious.

It is time for Coker’s colleagues in congress to invoke the 25th amendment.