Bob Corker Cops a Short Timer's Attitude

It all started when retiring republican Senator Bob Corker told some folks back home in Tennessee, "The president has not yet been able to demonstrate the stability, nor some of the competence that he needs to demonstrate to be successful." He added that Trump's Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson--who reportedly described his boss as a, "fucking moron"-- along with Secretary of Defense, Jim Mattis and White House Chief of Staff, John Kelly, "Are those people that help separate our country from chaos."

Never one to let a slight go unanswered, Trump took to Twitter on Friday and wrote, "Strange statement by Bob Corker considering that he is constantly asking me whether or not he should run again in '18. Tennessee not happy!"

Over the weekend things, as they always do with Brother Donald, deteriorated into what amounts to playground taunts. In a series of tweets--because one will never do--Trump posted back, to back, to back messages which when run together read, "Senator Bob Corker 'begged' me to endorse him for re-election in Tennessee. I said 'NO' and he dropped out. (Said he could not win without my endorsement) He also wanted to be Secretary of State. I said, 'NO THANKS.' He is also largely responsible for the horrendous Iran deal. Hence I would fully expect Corker to be a negative voice and stand in the way of our great agenda. Didn't have the guts to run."

The tweets were pure Trump. His is a twisted world in which the press are outright liars and all the others--like Corker--are driven to the sins of treachery, envy, and jealousy because their slavish and pitiful  overtures were rejected by, yes, Donald John Trump. In other words he recognized they were not great, therefore they attacked him because he is.

Corker took to Twitter and wrote, "It is a shame the White House has become an adult day care center. Someone obviously missed their shift this morning."

The senator also gave a phone interview to the New York Times yesterday. He was quoted as saying, "I don't know why the president tweets out things that are not true. You know he does it, everyone knows he does it, but him."

According to the Times story Corker maintained Trump had urged him to run again on at least four separate occasions, the last one being just seven days ago. Corker said Trump had even volunteered multiple times to hold a rally in Tennessee on his behalf.

We can assume those offers are now out the window. We can also assume if Trump decertifies the Iran nuclear deal and demands the senate impose new sanctions he won't have Bob Corker, the chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in his corner. And it goes without saying if Trump does fire Tillerson, as has been speculated, he will have a bitch of a time getting a new nominee approved because the process must go through Corker.

The Times and other news outlets are saying Senator Corker's sudden outbursts of candor are due to his impending retirement in two years. In lay terms it is known as a short timer's attitude.

Well why not? Trump can't fire him and can't work to beat him in 2018. All of which leads us to wonder how many other GOP senators feel exactly the same way about Big Don, but won't admit it only because they're going to have to deal with the crazy bastard beyond two years.

Let's face it, the list of sitting republican senators Donald Trump has publicly savaged is impressive. Included on the roster are Mitch McConnell, Lindsay Graham, John McCain, Jeff Flake, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, and Lisa Murkowski.

If he loses just two of them, or their colleagues on any given vote, be it tax reform, or building the wall, Brother Trump's "great agenda," is fucked. It is a fact of life, The El Supremo doesn't seem to understand.

Meanwhile Bob Corker left us with this final assessment of the situation. "The president acts like he's doing, 'The Apprentice' or something. He concerns me. He would have to concern anyone who cares about our nation." Then finally, "I know for a fact that every single day at the White House, it's a situation of trying to contain him."

Nice.

Ladies and gentlemen, as you can guess, the bar is open.


sic vita est


10-9-17