Banking On the President's Words, At One's Own Risk

ALMOLST AFTER THE FASHION of a miracle, President Trump has, reportedly, quietly acceded to the postponement of the state of the union speech until such time as, if ever there is such time, the complete and entire government of the United States is up, running, and open for business. We remain on high alert for further developments; that's what he said late last night, and now, its early this morning. So, stay tuned. The president has a distinct proclivity for making a statement of intent, then soon thereafter disavowing it, as if having either forgotten it, ignoring it, or having transitioned to an alternative reality. If one did not know better, one might even go so far as to suppose that the president had mistakenly taken a peek at a copy of the constitution, mistaking it perhaps for a favorable business report from Moscow, a long list of campaign donors, or potential mistresses, and has managed to understand that speaker Pelosi does indeed, in constitution, have the power to forestall the annual presidential assessment of the nation's fitness and general state of well being. But beware. The president has demonstrated, repeatedly, incessantly, a marked proclivity for making a grandiose statement of intent, then reversing it the next moment, as if having either forgotten it, changed his mind, or transitioned into another universe of alternative reality. We might expect to receive at any moment notification that the POTUS fully intends to deliver the state of the union after all, when and where he damned well pleases, and Pelosi and the constitution be damned. Or more enchanting still, one can imagine Trump, decked out in red tie and lapel pin, orange hair coiffed, striding up the steps of the U.S. capitol, surrounded by legions of baby faced high schoolers adorned with red MAGA ball caps, and into the House Chamber, and delivering his speech to a chamber devoid of members of congress, but filled with the MAGA hordes, with Steve Bannon, Sean Hannity, and the esteemed attorney Mr. Cohen as guests of honor. Someone posted on Facebook that Trump is a LIAR, in big bold letters, and therefor is not to be trusted. Well, duh. Someone else said: "sorry, but I trust Trump." A responder timidly, tenuously responded that yes, she was sorry too, because, since becoming president, Trump's thousands of lies are demonstrable, verifiable, on tape, audio, video, and in print. On the day that Trump proudly proclaimed that he would be glad, and in fact proud to accept full responsibility for any eventual government shutdown, that he would "own it", Nancy Pelosi was in the room, as was Chuck Schumer, and, within inches, within earshot, so was Vice president Pence, stoically, mercifully silent, but sentient, at least nominally. Then of course there were the tens of millions of us who heard him say it. Not to worry. When the shutdown actually eventuated, the POTUS, in one of his many, apparent alternative realities, dismissively began assigning blame to the usual suspects: the Democrats, the liberal media, the Chinese, climate scientists. Whether Trump will actually attempt to deliver some sort of state of the union address remains an open question, and the subject of much idle speculation. By using the constitution to not permit him to, Pelosi is doing him an enormous favor, by sparing him the torment, sparing him what would be an embarassment to sane people, of having to either tell the nation that its state of being really, really sucks, in his parlance, owing to the presently inoperative status of much of its government and the attendant acrimony of trying to forge an agreement by which it might be restarted,, or, of shamelessly prevaricating, as per usual, which would embarrass the sane, but certainly not him.