. . . Let me count the ways. Apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning but I just couldn’t resist.
I had promised myself that I would take a vow of silence after the inauguration but the fodder available is just too tempting, too unbelievable, too startling to ignore. We had thought (hoped) that the election, the pomp and circumstance, the awesomeness of the triumph would bring about a birth of a new persona. Not so; rather those things have elevated what preceded it to new power and urgency. The major difference is that the words which have been broadcast without benefit of mental self-censoring, now have real consequences. Hence the worry is assuming a new dimension.
The inauguration: Many considered not watching but as it was an historic occasion it drew untold millions to their flat-screen viewing platforms. It was a gray and somber sky that blanketed the proceedings but the crowd was impressive. Little did any of us think the number attending would become an issue. The luminaries were there and conducted themselves with dignity; all awaited the speech of the president-elect, perhaps remembering some historic moments from previous presentations that are quoted with reverence to this day.
It certainly didn’t take the President (now capitalized) to disabuse us of that hope. Change the backdrop from the awesome Capitol building to a cornfield in Iowa or a farmyard in New Hampshire and the speech fits right in to the old settings. Everyone listening could have given the talk, including the hand gestures, lip pursing, and scowling.
Disappointing in that an opportunity on so many fronts was totally missed, when we heard the President himself had written the speech, we should not have been surprised. When he started his remarks, it began to rain. Some wag christened the shower as blessings from heaven but at least some of us thought of the contrast to the aphorism, happy is the bride on which the sun shines. The President did not look happy but that’s not fair; when has he ever looked happy? The stroboscopic smile so frequently seen does not convey inner contentment.
The first newsworthy event: Off to the headquarters of the CIA the President went the following day. Having a legacy of such endearments as “I know more about ISIS that the generals do,” and dismissing that investigations of 17 “intelligence” agencies by enclosing the word in quotation marks as a discrediting of their work might have given him pause to concentrate on fencing-mending.
Standing in front of the wall of honor for fallen CIA agents he stated that he “supports the intelligence agency 1000%,” and that he “loves the CIA.” We must suppose those in attendance had not heard the months of denigration he had been heaping on them; then he got down to what was really on his mind: how the media lied about the smaller numbers in attendance at the inauguration. “The largest crowd ever and the media tried to make it look small by bad camera angles,” he reported to the assembled CIA luminaries. Less than reassuring that POTUS was not thinking about the importance of the intelligence community’s contribution to our security. The inappropriateness of those remarks in that venue was mindboggling. Another opportunity missed.
International diplomacy: Off to Israel will go his son-in-law to move our embassy in that beleaguered land from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, presumably making it the new capitol. Maybe that’s where it should be but for more than three thousand years the governance of that geography has been the subject of great controversy. The chutzpah to believe that this was the right time to take such a bold step, as if the United States is the decision maker on such a move, is beyond comprehension.
You get the idea. Shoot from the lip; don’t measure the impact of thoughts before you launch into self-aggrandizement. It does raise an important question. Can an ego so ravenous for approval listen to reasonable advisors? Let’s hope the first 72 hours doesn’t predict our future.
In the words of Fr Richard Rohr we must pray that President Trump leads with wisdom compassion, and justice. The power that the President promises to deliver back to the people must be to peacefully advocate for the rights everyone.
Let’s give him time and keep our fingers crossed.
Hayden Hollingsworth
