Month: April 2017

The Deeper Meaning of Sean Spicer’s Cheeseballs

Trish
The actual cheese balls in question.
The actual cheese balls in question.

This is not a story from The Onion.

What really happened, according to CNN:

In an awkward moment Friday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer abruptly asked that his daily on-camera press briefing be “off camera,” causing the pool camera to turn away from Spicer as he spoke. Viewers of networks carrying the briefing watched as the pool camera panned right and focused on a big container of cheese puffs that was sitting on a table.

Is it just coincidence that the prez himself is not only considered a cheeseball, but is also orange? The press secretary is as silent on the matter as those cheese flavored puffs. We think the largely symbolic and possibly diversionary recent Syrian airstrike that Spicer avoided talking about by focusing on the orange ones is the more compelling topic.

Paul: Trump Needs Congressional Authorization for Military Action

Buck Banks

“While we all condemn the atrocities in Syria, the United States was not attacked. The President needs congressional authorization for military action as required by the Constitution, and I call on him to come to Congress for a proper debate. Our prior interventions in this region have done nothing to make us safer, and Syria will be no different.”

— Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), quoted by The Hill, after the U.S. launched airstrikes in Syria.

Kushner Lied to Get Security Clearance

Buck Banks

“When Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, sought the top-secret security clearance that would give him access to some of the nation’s most closely guarded secrets, he was required to disclose all of his encounters with foreign government officials over the last seven years. … “But Mr. Kushner omitted any mention of dozens of contacts he has had with foreign leaders or officials in recent months. They include a December meeting with the Russian ambassador, Sergey I. Kislyak, and another with the head of a Russian state-owned bank, Vnesheconombank, which was arranged at the behest of Mr. Kislyak.”

— New York Times

McCain: Supporters of ‘Nuclear Option’ Are ‘Stupid’

Buck Banks

“Idiot, whoever says that is a stupid idiot, who has not been here and seen what I’ve been through and how we were able to avoid that on several occasions. And they are stupid and they’ve deceived their voters because they are so stupid.”

— Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), expressing his is anger that the “nuclear option” will not be avoided in the fight over Neil Gorsuch’s confirmation to the Supreme Court, the Washington Post reports.

Transition Team Had an Unrealistic Timetable for Repeal and Replace

Buck Banks

36 days

Washington Post: “The legislative timetable was hugely ambitious. One transition document, for example, called for Congress to complete work on repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act by Feb. 24, or Day 36 of the administration. The GOP health-care bill wasn’t even introduced by that date and was pulled from a House vote last month after meeting fierce resistance, even from many Republicans.”