Back in 1974, when we cats were kittens, the person who we thought was the worst President ever, ever, ever, resigned his office in disgrace this night. Little did we know what horrors later awaited us: first George W. Bush, and now, Benedict Donald.
Nixon's resignation was the result of intrepid reporting by The Washington Post, and yes, The New York Times and others. In short, a free press brought down a lawless President. That's how America works.
Today, things are a little dicier than even the Nixon years. The perfidy of Benedict Donald (and his minions, Bill Barr chief among them) makes Tricky Dick look almost statesmanlike. But the press, such as it is, is still free. Chris Wallace and Jonathan Swan have recently revealed Trump for the fraud that he is. Swan's Axios interview, in particular, demonstrated the benefit of checking Trump's lies in real time. And Paula Reid from CBS drove it home further today.
It was about the Veterans' Access to Care Through Choice Act — which Barack Obama signed into law in 2014, but which Trump insists on taking credit for. "Why do you keep saying that?" Reid asked Trump at Bedminster today. "It's a false statement, sir." Cornered, Trump ended the press conference and left with his tail between his legs.
Nixon never had a bunch of cheerleaders applauding his every line, as Trump did this afternoon. But even that couldn't obscure the humiliation of being fact-checked by a journalist. Keep it up, team. We cats PURR.
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