President Trump Cannot Redeem Himself
He fell miles short of stirring:
“Justice will be delivered.” “No matter the color of our skin, we all live under
the same laws.” “We are all made by the same Almighty God.” “Racism is evil.”
Amen, amen, amen and amen, but this preacher’s sermons have been wildly inconsistent and as often designed to divide as to unite.
Back on Saturday, when Trump was still hemming, hawing
and hiding, Cruz released a statement superior to what Trump, with more time and the help of many aides, delivered on Monday
We saw Donald Trump’s true colors on Saturday, when he was given the chance — a ready-made moment for presidential grace — to denounce the neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, Va.,
and instead found wrongdoing “on many sides.” That was Trump minus the pressure and the planning.
Don’t get me wrong: I’d rather that Trump said what he did on Monday than maintain
his silence, which was breathtaking, galling — and spectacularly revealing.
And neither can his fellow Republicans, who find themselves at another juncture — maybe the most important one yet —
where they must decide whether to continue showing him allegiance or carve out greater space between him and them.
That was his path to power, one much uglier than most politicians travel,
and his election didn’t do what so many of the Republicans who reluctantly supported him hoped that it would and make him a bigger person.
