At 10:45 PM Monday night Eastern Time, Michael Flynn handed in his WH security pass and employment credentials, with a one page apologia and some weak excuse of a mea culpa.
Mike Flynn Delivers Yet Another Dishonest Handshake to Vice President Mike Pence on Friday (02/10/17)
Here is the full text of this brave document.
In the course of my duties as the incoming National Security Advisor, I held numerous phone calls with foreign counterparts, ministers, and ambassadors. These calls were to facilitate a smooth transition and begin to build the necessary relationships between the President, his advisors and foreign leaders. Such calls are standard practice in any transition of this magnitude.
Unfortunately, because of the fast pace of events, I inadvertently briefed the Vice President Elect and others with incomplete information regarding my phone calls with the Russian Ambassador. I have sincerely apologized to the President and the Vice President, and they have accepted my apology.
Throughout my over thirty three years of honorable military service, and my tenure as the National Security Advisor, I have always performed my duties with the utmost of integrity and honesty to those I have served, to include the President of the United States.
I am tendering my resignation, honored to have served our nation and the American people in such a distinguished way.
I am also extremely honored to have served President Trump, who in just three weeks, has reoriented American foreign policy in fundamental ways to restore America’s leadership position in the world.
As I step away once again from serving my nation in this current capacity, I wish to thank President Trump for his personal loyalty, the friendship of those who I worked with throughout the hard fought campaign, the challenging period of transition, and during the early days of his presidency.
I know with the strong leadership of President Donald J. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence and the superb team they are assembling, this team will go down in history as one of the greatest presidencies in U.S. history, and I firmly believe the American people will be well served as they all work together to help Make America Great Again.
You can buy that swill, if you want to. For myself my salt shaker is on empty after reading it twice.
Flynn got what he has been angling after for months with his reckless disregard for ethics, propriety and common sense. So actually no great loss in that regard, as far as America the nation is concerned. And Flynn wasn’t around long enough to do too much structural damage to the National Security apparatus, if you don’t count the fairly large number of permanent NSC staffers who bailed and returned early to their permanent government billets rather than work for the arrogant, lying partisan SOB.
In the end, there can only be a theatrical response to this early Trump.45 Comedy of Errors. Let’s just hit two highlights.
The first is a military themed comment from America’s favorite fictional Marine, one Private Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (1964-1969).
Gomer Pyle Gets an Earful from His Drill Instructor for Unspecified Transgressions
A classic Pyleism is known by heart to millions: “Surprise, Surprise, Surprise.” Listen to the man do his thing.
So much for the denouement to Flynn’s short and ineffective tenure as National Security Advisor to the President. A fish out of water in a job way over his head, appointed by a rookie know nothing. That’s the best we’ve got?
Gomer Pyle, USMC Recruit Trying the Patience of His Drill Instructor During Basic Training (1964)
But the real problem in all this is not former NSC Advisor Flynn, it is the actions of the Buck Stops Here Boss who entertained the notion of hiring Flynn (absent the fig leaf reviews of Senate confirmation) in the first place. You know, personnel selection genius Trump.45.
The first of his high level people decisions that went haywire in a hurry.
And thus we have the pertinence of the second media theme, from the classic 1939 MGM movie The Wizard of Oz. One of the principal characters was played by Bert Lahr. He and Trump shared a fondness for the same salty snack food brand in later years, a sort of personality connection over the decades between the two.
Bert Lahr Plays the Immortal Character the Cowardly Lion in the 1939 Movie The Wizard of Oz
In 2017, Trump has acted like the Cowardly Lion in his opening movie scenes. Lacking courage and afraid of his own personnel mistake.
Why was Flynn allowed to resign? He lied directly to the Vice President’s face on more than one occasion. Flynn let the VP lie to Americans in a failed cover up on national TV more than once. O.K.Trump can’t deport him, which is favorite punishment, but Trump.45 damn sure could have fired Flynn’s lying, dishonorable ass on nationwide TV. Ratings would have been through the roof. I guarantee it. Chance blown.
Maybe worst of all, Acting Attorney General Sally Yates, an Obama holdover Trump himself appointed as Acting Attorney General, specifically informed Trump’s White House Counsel, Don McGhan, that Flynn was a liar and a security risk based on US intercepted intelligence about Flynn’s direct Russian contacts.
And nothing happened. The Trump White House played dumb. As recently as late this afternoon poor Kellyanne was dispatched to assure a troubled nation the President retained full confidence in Flynn. That was just before the WH pulled the rug out from under her about 1 hour later. Is it only the women around Trump who take in the neck, or other body parts?
Cowardly Lion Courage Medal from Wizard of Oz (1939). You Can Borrow It, Mr. President
Mr. Trump the bold “You’re Fired” Apprentice reality TV guy couldn’t pull the trigger on Deceiving Liar Flynn in the real deal, not on TV stage. Flynn was in violation of the Logan Act. Flynn was putting the National Security of America at risk of blackmail by hostile Russian agents for his personal indiscretions.
Trump didn’t wait one day to fire Sally Yates for making a lawyers decision based on her legal responsibilities to the Constitution under her oath of office. Trump didn’t agree and was within his rights to remove her from the job, as she was a political appointment he made. He wasted no time. But she didn’t break the law in her conduct.
With respect to Flynn’s misconduct, Trump sat on his stubby fingered hands for the better part of three weeks, and then used the cowardly way out of accepting a trumped up resignation letter, as if somehow Trump had no knowledge or responsibility. Or that the whole mess was all somehow Mike Pence’s fault.
And don’t even try and entertain the notion that Trump didn’t know because White House Counsel McGhan made just a teensy, weensy little judgment error and forgot to tell the Boss somehow. That scenario would be the worst if all. If there is even a grain of truth in that notion, McGhan needs to be gone ASAP as well, Clean the stables, Mr. President
What we are seeing play out now is the famous Deflect and Ignore strategy. Trump’s specialty for bad news a comin’.
Trump had a chance to act like the powerful man he is supposed to be as serving President of the Greatest Nation on Earth. Instead he sat in the corner and waited for things to pan out and/or cool down.
Mr. President, we want you to Act Like a Man. Stand up for America.
The only good news in this mess is that since Trump.45 has only served 25 days of his temporary allotted 1,461 day long term (just 1.7%), he still has the chance to redeem himself, and validate the genuine faith fully 46% of America’s voters placed in him, just like the Cowardly Lion who got a Courage Medal in the movie and became brave as all get out in his actions.
America, we can wish, can’t we?
In the meantime, watch out for the replacement derby, including David Petraeus, another trump past favorite with a little legal problem to overcome. Although, Trump could solve the logistical impediment to this move, if not the rotten political optics, by pardoning poor Davey boy, who has suffered so much ridicule and shame as he acted only out of deepest love for his mistress when he passed her classified U military secrets.
The heart wants what the heart wants, n’est pas? We get it, David. Still a crime though.
**Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. TV series:
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. is an American situation comedy that originally aired on CBS from September 25, 1964, to May 2, 1969. The series was a spin-off of The Andy Griffith Show, and the pilot episode was aired as the season finale of the fourth season of its parent series on May 18, 1964. The show ran for a total of 150 half-hour episodes spanning over five seasons, first in black-and-white, and then in color. In 2006, CBS Home Entertainment (distributed by Paramount) began releasing the series on DVD. The final season was released in November 2008.
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. was a hit, never placing lower than tenth in the Nielsen ratings, and ended its run as the second-highest-rated series in the United States. It has enjoyed continued popularity through reruns and DVD releases. The series was created by Aaron Ruben, who also produced the show with Sheldon Leonard and Ronald Jacobs. Filmed and set in California (originally set in North Carolina), it stars Jim Nabors as Gomer Pyle, a naive but good-natured gas station attendant from the town of Mayberry, North Carolina, who enlists in the United States Marine Corps. Frank Sutton plays Gomer’s high-octane, short-fused Gunnery Sergeant Vince Carter, and Ronnie Schell plays Gomer’s friend Duke Slater. Allan Melvin played in the recurring role of Gunnery Sergeant Carter’s rival, Staff Sergeant Charley Hacker.
The show was filmed at Camp Pendleton, Desilu Studios’s Desilu-Cahuenga, and RKO Forty Acres backlot, where The Andy Griffith Show was filmed. Though Ruben preferred the use of a multiple-camera setup for comedy programs, Gomer Pyle used a single-camera setup because much of the shooting was conducted outdoors. In his book And The Show Goes On, Sheldon Leonard explained that the armed forces offer levels of “cooperation” with filmmakers. Because the Marines felt that the show would be good for the branch’s image, Gomer Pyle was given “total cooperation,” meaning that the show was allowed unlimited access to military equipment.
Gomer Pyle (played by Jim Nabors), from Mayberry, North Carolina, is a good-natured and innocent private whose naiveté constantly annoys his drill instructor, Sergeant Carter. Eventually, however, his “unquestioning love and trust of the world” lead those in his platoon to befriend him. Gomer was created as a stereotype of a rural American; according to Time, he “wears a gee-whiz expression, spouts homilies out of a lopsided mouth and lopes around uncertainly like a plowboy stepping through a field of cow dung. He is a walking disaster area.” Though never promoted beyond private first class during the show’s run, Jim Nabors (who played Gomer) was given an honorary promotion to lance corporal in 2001 and again to corporal in 2007 by the Marines.
Gomer Pyle and Sgt. Vince Carter with Real Marine Drill Instructor Edwin J. Kues, USMC (center) at Camp Pendleton San Diego (1964)
Note the actual US Marine Corps officialdom loved the show, and cooperated fully in its filming at legendary Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in San Diego. The actual Marine Corps gave Jim Nabors (who played Gomer Pyle) two honorary promotions in rank in 2001 and 2007, as a mark of their resect and affection for his portrayal of Corps values.
As far as the all important Nielsen ratings vis a vis Trump’s ego measure, Gomer Pyle was ranked for a whole season as the number #2 show on all of television, and never finished out of the Top 10 shows anytime in its five year history. Rating heights Trump has never achieved on serial TV.
And finally, actor Jim Nabors (Gomer Pyle) has an exceptional singing voice good enough to rate a network musical variety show after his stint in the Marine Corps. He has an emotional connection to Mike Pence’s Indiana. From 1972 until 2014 Neighbors sang “Back Home Again in Indiana” to kick off the Memorial Day Indianapolis 500 car race, 36 times. The last time was in 2014, when Nabors was 84 years old, still with a powerful set of vocal pipes. Now that’s longevity and adopted Hoosier state pride. And one more reason Gomer Pyle wouldn’t put up with Mike Flynn’s dishonorable conduct.
Jim Nabors Sings at Indianapolis 500 Race for 36th Time (2014)
Here is a clip from Gomer Pyle receiving bayonet (pugil stick) training.
And a full episode of Gomer Pyle USMC Season 01, Episode 05 (1964) on YouTube.
**The Cowardly Lion from the Wizard of Oz:
Book Illustration from the First Edition of the Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum (1900)
In the classic 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz, the Cowardly Lion was a humanoid biped and played by Bert Lahr, a popular vaudeville and Broadway star, with many of Lahr’s trademark mannerisms deliberately worked into the film. In this version, the liquid courage given to him by the Wizard is replaced with a medal marked “Courage”. Bert Lahr’s biography, written by his son John Lahr, is entitled Notes on a Cowardly Lion.
The movie was made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, which uses a lion as its mascot. In fact, MGM even considered using their mascot for the role of the Cowardly Lion.
In the movie, the Lion walks on his hind legs instead of all four, except when he is first seen bounding out of the forest to attack Dorothy’s friends. After roaring fiercely at them on all fours, he does stand up on his hind legs.
Lahr also portrayed the Lion’s Kansas counterpart, Zeke (one of Aunt Em and Uncle Henry’s farmworkers). Screenwriter Noel Langley created this character for the film. Zeke helps Hickory (Tin Man’s alter ego) lower a bed into its place on a wagon at the farm. He then moves the hogs into the pig pen and pours feed into their trough and later rescues Dorothy when she falls off the railing that encircles the pen. He wears his hat throughout the entire film because he does not struggle to open the cellar when the tornado approaches the farm. Hunk (Scarecrow’s alter ego) closes and locks the cellar with him when Dorothy arrives at the farmhouse. Zeke and Professor Marvel (The Wizard’s alter ego) are the only men wearing hats when Dorothy awakens from being unconscious.
The original Courage Medal prop from the 1939 film has been recently rediscovered. The cross-shaped medal is made of poly-chromed metal and measures 7.5 × 7.5″ (19.1 × 19.1 cm) It features a lion in profile above a crown and a knight’s helmet, and the word “Courage” in raised blue scroll lettering. In the late 1950s, Mal Caplan, the head of the costume department at MGM was in a life-threatening automobile accident, and spent months in the hospital before returning to work. For some time he was unable to sit upright and had to work from a chaise longue. In recognition of his courage, his colleagues and the management at MGM presented him with the Cowardly Lion’s Courage Medal. He was also given the Tin Man’s “heart”, but he gave that to “someone who needed it”, a man in the same hospital who was having open heart surgery. The current whereabouts of the heart clock are unknown. The Courage Medal remained in the Caplan family until it was consigned to a Sotheby’s Entertainment Memorabilia auction in May 1997. The medal was purchased by a New Jersey collector, and in Nov. of 2010 was featured on episode 7 of the TV show Hollywood Treasure.
An original Cowardly Lion costume from The Wizard of Oz was packed away after filming and forgotten for decades. It was found barely in time to be included in the landmark 1970 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer auction, where it sold for $2400 to a California chiropractor. In 1985, sculptor Bill Mack acquired it; he could not recall the exact price, but stated, “It was several thousand dollars, instead of several hundred thousand”. He had it restored by a taxidermist and “recreated the headpiece with a lifelike sculpture of Lahr” In December 2006, he sold it for $826,000.
Another costume currently resides in the Comisar Collection, the largest collection of television artifacts in the world. Curator James Comisar acquired the costume, after verifying to his satisfaction that it had been worn in the film, and set about restoring it. The major challenge was the weight of the tail caused rips across the back of the costume that needed to be patched, which was done by Cara Varnell, a textile conservation expert at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The Cowardly Lion’s original facial appliances had been glued directly to Bert Lahr’s face and did not survive the production, so Comisar asked Lahr’s son, Herbert, to model for another face cast, as he had an uncanny resemblance to his father. Herbert Lahr remarked:
The Lion’s suit was very interesting. It was a real lion skin, and it weighed 60 lbs. My dad had to be in it all day, he couldn’t eat because of the way the mask was, so he had to eat his lunch through a straw.
The Cowardly Lion’s mane was re-created from human hair imported from Italy at a cost of $22,000, and more than twenty-one artisans worked for two years completing the conservation.
Comisar’s Cowardly Lion costume has been featured in the national media, including on The Oprah Winfrey Show, when it was then valued at $1.5 million. The costume is thought to be among the most valuable and iconic Hollywood objects in existence. “Most of us cannot relate to not having a brain or a heart; we can all relate to not having enough courage, and it is for this reason I believe the Cowardly Lion is the character we respond to the most,” said Comisar. Many potential buyers have expressed interest in buying the costume, but so far he has rejected all offers. Comisar’s costume was offered by Bonhams in their TCM-themed auction that took place in New York City on November 24, 2014, where it received great interest and realized the selling price of $3.1 million, and this is the highest known price point for a costume worn by a male performer in any Hollywood production.
William Stillman, a noted historian and co-author of several books about the film, featured a full-page photograph of this Cowardly Lion costume in his book, The Wizardry of Oz: The Artistry and the Magic of the M.G.M. 1939 Classic. The accompanying text states, “While Bert Lahr appears to wear the same costume throughout the picture, others were available for dress rehearsals or for the stunt double to bound onto the Yellow Brick Road, leap through a window in the Emerald City, or scale the cliffs outside the Witch’s castle.” In 1998, both Comisar and auctioneering company Profiles in History, on behalf of Mack, insisted they had Lahr’s costume.
A clip of the Cowardly Lion and Dorothy from the classic 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz.