These Proceedings Are Closed ?

(These Proceedings Are Closed ?)

One can feel some sympathy for General of the Army, Douglas MacArthur. In a career that had made him Army Chief of Staff, when the Pacific War started, MacArthur was in command of the Philippines and when those islands fell, the General was given command of the Southwest Pacific Area, a position he held to the end of the War. The Solomons and New Guinea campaigns were under his direction but he had promised to retake his beloved Archipelago. But MacArthur had an equivalent in the European Theater, a former aid of his named Dwight David Eisenhower. Eisenhower had been the Supreme Commander for the invasion of Western Europe. General MacArthur it was thought that when the time came, he would lead the invasion of the Japanese Home Islands, an endeavor that would dwarf Eisenhower's accomplishment in the ETO, more men, more ships, and more planes. Then came Hiroshima. Then Nagasaki. Then General of the Army MacArthur was denied the glory of what would have been the pinnacle of a brilliant career. As Supreme Allied Commander in the Pacific, he had been the one to receive the Japanese surrender delegation aboard the Battleship Missouri on September 2nd, 1945. When the Documents were presented and the signatories were concluded, General MacArthur made a brief speech than finished with saying: "These proceedings are closed."

So-called "proceedings" are being faced by both leading Candidates for President. Democrat Joe Biden could be facing impeachment charges and his Republican challenger, most likely to be Donald Trump, is under four count indictment. What is the schedule ? Who might be compromised first, Biden or Trump ? Who is the greater peril ? What is obvious, however, is that the path for both will be un-even. This is a two-track line but the one for Trump is not the one for Biden.

What happens, however, when the House produces evidence that any objective reckoning would clearly demonstrate the President's culpability ? There could come a point where not even willful ignorance will explain the President's involvement. But what about Trump ? Who will come first ? Could the President be impeached, at least out of the House before Trump goes to trial ?

Of course, this whole thing is political theater but this is the current state of political life. Democrats and Republicans locked in mortal combat with the common good always secondary. The double persecutions of President Biden and former President Trump are emblematic of the open warfare that has to happen. What will decide things, once and for all, is who is sworn in Inauguration Day, 2025.

These proceedings are closed.