Gird for another political food fight, vote ’em out

... ON (SEPT. 24) President Donald Trump authorized release of the transcript of his conversation with Ukraine’s president. Rest assured that this probably won’t lead to Republican outrage or serious consequences for Trump.

We now will get buried in a tedious partisan debate about whether there is anything illegal or that jeopardizes national security in what Trump said in the conversation, especially since there may be no quid pro quo.

We’ve seen this rhetorical pattern before. When accused of wrongdoing, President Trump first denies what transpired. Then he declares there is nothing wrong with what he said. Finally he reduces the accusation to being an additional example of how the Democrats who resent his being elected and want to re-litigate 2016 are undertaking another witch hunt.

Regardless of what political pundits speculate, does anyone really believe we have reached a tipping point? I am not convinced but hope I am wrong. We have a president who has spent his lifetime successfully finding an escape hatch.

In addition and as expected, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in the wake of Trump’s conversation with the Ukraine president, announced the start of an impeachment inquiry, claiming President Trump has broken the law and violated his oath of office.

It is hardly surprising that a key Republican member of the House Intelligence Committee, Chris Stewart, immediately responded by asking how Pelosi can conduct a fair investigation when she already has concluded that Trump is guilty. Then House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy declared that Pelosi’s impeachment decision is but another example of how Democrats from Day One, and before any evidence was unearthed, were out to remove Trump from office.

And so the predictable rhetorical narrative again is being repeated, making me worry that all of this will not produce consequences and accountability. It will be a political food fight. The problem is that most people now view Congress as incapable of bipartisan, impartial proceedings. That’s why the ballot box may be the ultimate check and balance and mechanism for preserving the rule of law. RICHARD CHERWITZ Austin, Texas