Pondering the Pundits” is an Open Thread. It is a selection of editorials and opinions from> around the news medium and the internet blogs. The intent is to provide a forum for your reactions and opinions, not just to the opinions presented, but to what ever you find important.
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Simon Jenkins: Trump’s tweet to Iran cannot bully the west away from making peace
Wow. Social media really is transforming the art of diplomacy. Donald Trump’s secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, has called the rulers of Iran a “mafia more than a government”. They are a bunch of “hypocritical holy men” who have devised “all kinds of crooked schemes to become some of the wealthiest men on Earth while their people suffer”. When Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, pleads for the mother of all peace instead of the “mother of all wars”, Trump retorts that if he ever says that again, he will see “consequences the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered before … Be cautious!” Children are told that words can never hurt you, but there must be limits.
For Trump to deride Tehran as a mafia state while courting the leaders of Russia and North Korea is bit rich. Perhaps after his ham-fisted private diplomacy with Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un, he finds it easier to retreat to belligerence and abuse. More serious is the immediate bone of contention: the triggering this month of American sanctions following Washington’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear disarmament accord with Iran. Financial dealings with Tehran will have to freeze, followed in the autumn by a ban on imports of Iranian oil.
The resumption of sanctions is unlikely to destroy the regime or change its policies in the region. The US does not rule the world. But sanctions will almost certainly undermine moderation and reinforce conservatism within Iran. It will make an Iranian bomb more, not less, likely.
Eugene Robinson: There’s just one way to constrain this lunatic administration
Last week it was Russia, Russia, Russia. This week began with a bombastic, all-caps screed about Iran — and, of course, more wailing about the purported “Mueller Witch Hunt.” In between was a stray tweet about football and the national anthem, just to stir the racial pot. President Trump is wagging the dog so hard, I fear he will injure himself.
Through it all, we must keep our eyes on the prize. There is just one realistic way to constrain this lunatic administration and hold it accountable: Vote in November to snatch control of Congress away from the quisling Republicans and hand it to the Democrats.
If I sound like a broken record on this subject, too bad. You can shut me up by generating a gigantic midterm turnout and flipping at least the House. Otherwise, prepare to be reminded, repeatedly and perhaps obnoxiously, that I told you so. [..]
There will be plenty of time to worry about the 2020 presidential election. Right now, the Democratic Party’s exclusive focus should be on registering new voters and ensuring that constituencies with a habit of voting only in presidential years — especially minorities and young people — come out in November.
Are you registered? Do you not just plan to vote but swear you will vote? Do you know where your polling place is? If the answer to any of these questions is no, you are not part of the solution. You’re part of the problem.
David Kris: The Carter Page wiretap dispute isn’t a fair fight. Trump’s banking on that.
The Justice Department on Saturday released the documents in the Carter Page saga used in its application in 2016 for permission from a federal court to wiretap Carter Page, a former foreign policy adviser to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign whose ties to Russia had sparked the interest of national security officials.
Over two days following the documents’ release in response to Freedom of Information Act requests, President Trump fired off a series of tweets. He claimed that the Justice Department and FBI had misled the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court about the potential bias of Christopher Steele, the former British MI6 officer who was a source of information included in the application. The president also said the wiretaps were politically motivated, and he quoted Andrew McCarthy, a former federal prosecutor appearing on Fox News, arguing that we “should be looking at the judges who signed off on this stuff, not just the people who gave it.”
Trump’s ultimate point, in capital letters and an exclamation mark, is that the surveillance was illegal; it’s part of that “Witch Hunt!” [..]
Even with the redactions, the applications for permission to wiretap Page were serious and substantive. But the redactions mean that contentious days lie ahead. In this asymmetrical dispute, the FBI will be unable to reveal all the facts because the agency needs to protect its sources and methods, while the president and his proxies are free to distort and fabricate at will.
Jennifer Rubin: Trump is attacking the First Amendment again
Never let it be said this administration learns from past losses or takes the Constitution seriously. The Post reports:
President Trump is considering revoking the security clearances of a handful of former officials who have been critical of his rhetoric and actions toward Russia, the White House announced Monday, in a move that immediately prompted claims of political retaliation.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the officials being examined are former CIA director John Brennan; former FBI director James B. Comey; former CIA director Michael V. Hayden; former national security adviser Susan E. Rice; former director of national intelligence James R. Clapper Jr.; and former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe.
Not all these individuals have security clearances. But regardless, the attempt to squelch criticism of the administration based on the content of these ex-officials’ speech is a blatant violation of the First Amendment. “Despite the great latitude given the president in national security matters, and particularly on clearances, this is a new low,” says former White House counsel Norman Eisen. “It is so transparently based upon personal and political retaliation.” He continues, “It brings to mind other Trump classifications found unconstitutional by courts, including on First Amendment grounds, like the first Muslim ban or the Twitter ban. Because of the extreme deference to the executive here, court redress might be tough to obtain — but Trump and team are certainly creating an extremely unflattering evidentiary record.”
Vanita Gupta: Say No to a Citizenship Question on the 2020 Census
It’s no secret that our democracy is under relentless attack. But perhaps less known is the power every person has over one of the most urgent civil-rights issues facing the country today: the 2020 census.
As the head of the nation’s oldest and largest civil- and human-rights coalition, I hear every day from Americans who are concerned about the latest assaults on our democratic norms and institutions and want to know how to take action. There isn’t always an easy answer. But between now and August 7, there’s a simple way to make your voice count—and make sure your voice gets counted.
The Commerce Department is soliciting public comments on the 2020 Census to help evaluate the quality of information the questionnaire will collect. That means all of us can speak directly to the Trump administration about the critical need for a fair and accurate census. Here’s why that is so important.
The United States Constitution requires a count of every person in the country every 10 years. This is an enormously important undertaking. At stake in 2020 is fair political representation at every level of government and the distribution of more than $800 billion a year in federal funds that state and local leaders use to provide public goods like health care, education, housing, and economic development.
There’s only one chance in a decade to get the Census right. And because so much rides on an accurate count, protecting the integrity of the Census has traditionally been a nonpartisan commitment. Not anymore. The Census has become the latest front in the Trump administration’s ongoing war on justice, fairness, and the rule of law in America.
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