Among the multitude of clever quotes that preeminent intellectual Founding Father Benjamin Franklin is known for concerns secrets: “Three can keep a secret, if two of them are dead.”
If Franklin were alive today, he would probably consider altering some of his wise sayings to fit the modern sleazy swamp that is Washington, DC, where even dead men seem to have a difficult time keeping something to themselves. Electronic transmissions, phone records, social media posts, government surveillance, personal diaries and court documents have a way of resurfacing regardless of blood flowing through one’s veins. One of the worst kept secrets in the capital today is a growing contingent of Republicans’ desire to be rid of senile president Joe Biden. The 78-year-old lifelong swamp dweller must have a good number of secrets all to himself, but it’s his public actions that have gotten him in trouble for a long time standing. People who know Joe would likely say he can’t keep anything straight, much less keep a secret, but being dumb or senile doesn’t exempt one from scrutiny and accountability for his actions. We’ve heard rumors of possible impeachment since senile Joe’s earliest days in the White House, but the whispers have grown considerably louder recently, particularly after the longtime Delaware senator and Obama veep-turned president botched the Afghanistan evacuation so dramatically. A commander’s highest duty is not only to defeat the enemy, it’s to protect the fighting men and women under his charge. Biden did neither, all but surrendering an entire army’s worth of material to the dreaded Taliban. People want vengeance, possibly through removal from office. Ultimate establishmentarian Mitch McConnell poured water on the fledgling impeachment fire last week, saying flat out that it ain’t gonna happen. No secret there, Mitch. But is there more to the story? Haris Alic reported at The Washington Times:
“Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell … dismissed the notion that President Biden would be impeached over the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, arguing that a Democratic-controlled Congress would never allow it. “The impeachment question came during an event in the Republican leader’s home state of Kentucky. ‘The president is not going to be removed from office. There’s a Democratic House, a narrowly Democratic Senate. That’s not going to happen,’ Mr. McConnell said. ‘There isn’t going to be an impeachment.’ “The GOP leader added that the only way to change the direction of the country is at the ballot box. ‘In this country, the report card you get is every two years,’ he said. ‘And we’re trying to hold down the damage until next year and I do think we’re likely to see a typical midterm reaction to a new administration. … Only twice in American history have presidents gained seats in Congress two years into [their] first term.’”
Ironically, one of those two presidents was George W. Bush, who was riding a popular wave a mile high in 2002 in the aftermath of the 9/11/01 terrorist attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. Thousands of Americans perished in horrible fashion that day and citizens weren’t about to tie Bush’s hands by handing his opposition control of Congress while at war. Similar to his father ten-odd years before him, Bush initiated military action in the Middle East and in Afghanistan to sniff out the perpetrators and “bring them to justice.” Translation: Find them and kill them. It’s no secret and it ain’t that complicated. The war in Afghanistan was going well at that time as the vastly superior American forces overwhelmed the Taliban, driving them from power in a short timeframe. Victory? Hardly. The prehistoric Muslim fundamentalists merely withdrew to their caves or wherever else they hid when they weren’t terrorizing their fellow countrymen and aiding Al Qaeda in the group’s global reign of terror. The Taliban were in it for the long haul. From that point forward, the U.S. mission changed from butt kicking to road and school building as well as including an inane neoconservative plan to teach democracy and civility to the Afghan population. Imagine trying to explain to tribal elders that they needed to give up their ancient ways and social customs and submit themselves to elections and political correctness. It was no secret that any invading power would have difficulty carrying through with such objectives. The shadowy Taliban never went away. Meanwhile the new Afghan leaders were as corrupt as you’d expect them to be, and the U.S. was going “woke” rapidly under Barack Obama. It was a recipe for disaster. Bush, Obama, Joe Biden and yes, Donald Trump all share some portion of the blame. The men and women in uniform saluted and carried out their orders like American servicemen always have. But the political and military leadership of both parties never got it right -- that the true enemy was elements of Islam itself -- and all the blood, sweat and treasure was wasted in chasing a cause that could never be won, at least the way it was being waged. No wonder people are so angry. I am too. I think it’s safe to declare after thirty years (which includes Gulf War I) that Islam is not a “religion of peace.” To paraphrase Kyle Reese (who had come back in time to battle the cyborg Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) in the movie of the same name, “Listen, and understand! That Terminator is out there! It can’t be bargained with. It can’t be reasoned with. It doesn’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear! And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead!” Substitute “Taliban” and “ISIS” and “Al Qaeda” and “insert terrorist group name here” for “Terminator” in the quote above and it’d be about right. You must cut off the head of the snake, kill them all, or find a way to change their ideology. There is no other victory. It’s no secret, really. And while Joe Biden bungled his end of the responsibility with spectacular predictability, and deserves to be removed from office (for this and a bunch of other travesties like immigration and his trampling of God-given Constitutional rights during the COVID-19 pandemic), McConnell is correct about impeachment. Biden would never be convicted. Democrats didn’t care -- at all -- that they didn’t have the numbers to get Trump out of office (in early 2020) either, but the most basic necessity for impeaching a federal office holder is a House vote to approve the articles. They had it then, and used it. Republicans are still in the minority. Nancy Pelosi is the Speaker. She wields the gavel of power like a wicked witch does her magic spells and plethora of potions.
Currently, the only possibility of success would be to hold onto every single Republican and pick off a half-dozen or so House Democrats to draw up impeachment articles and pass them. Good luck doing so with Trump-hating establishment RINO company stooges Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger still living and breathing in the lower chamber. They, along with eight other Republicans, joined every Democrat to impeach the outgoing president for a second time earlier this year. Would the establishment goons ever agree to impeach their precious idiot Joe Biden?
No chance.
Therefore, the only reason to keep the impeachment drumbeat alive would be to try and stir public support for the effort and keep the conservative base motivated ahead of the 2022 GOP primaries and midterm elections. It might also be beneficial to expose cracks within the Democrat caucus. It’s no secret that the few remaining “moderates” in the party are nervous about the leftward lurch of the congressional leadership -- and wary of Biden himself.
The battle, weak as it was, over the so-called “bipartisan” infrastructure bill and the $3.5 trillion budget resolution showed that not everything is perfect in Democrat-land. Should some of the more radical leftists begin clamoring to ditch Joe Biden in favor of Kamala Harris, it’s conceivable that they’d vote for impeachment due to Biden’s failure to help Afghan refugees, knowing full well the senate would never complete the process.
McConnell himself wouldn’t likely go along with a vigorous impeachment effort, fearing it would make the GOP look as petty and vindictive as the Democrats did when they tried it themselves -- twice -- within the span of a year. Democrats don’t care a lick about appearances. Mitch sure does. Impeachment wouldn’t go anywhere.
It’s hard to keep a secret in politics, but everyone knows a Republican impeachment drive now wouldn’t produce a dethroned president. That’s not to say it shouldn’t be tried, but unrealistic expectations rarely bring results or satisfaction. Bumbling senile Joe Biden will continue hanging himself with his own incompetence. After that, it’s up to the voters to get it done next year.
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