Day 248 – Peril

Thursday September 23, 2021

I ran out to Barnes and Noble the hour they opened on the day the new Bob Woodward and Robert Costa book “Peril” came out. Much has been made of it, and with good reason. It is amazing to me that Bob Woodward can obtain the kind of information he does. The book reports what was said and done, little if any opinion or adjectives are used. In one section of the book the name “Woodward” is used in third person style reporting, which is odd if you are that person. It reminds me of Bob Dole saying, “Bob Dole wouldn’t say that.” However, given that there are two authors (and an assistant) it sort of makes sense.

In the first chapters the authors recount the final days of the Trump presidency. From the January 6th Insurrection til Inauguration there was real concern that Trump might initiate a nuclear attack. This was of concern to the Joint Chief of Staff, The Speaker of the House, and the Joint Chief’s counterpart in China. Would China initiate a pre-emptive strike? A Pearl Harbor? This was of real concern. So much so that Mark Milley, the Joint Chief had an hour and a half phone call with his counterpart in China. This is now being attacked on the right as treason! What the hell is wrong with those people on the far right? The president was acting erratically and had already mounted a treasonous insurrection against the United States and the head of our military chiefs was trying to prevent an all out war and these idiots are screaming?

But then there are the other things: why Paul Ryan quit, and the Biden campaign strategy and machinations. It is eye opening and breathtaking. Breathtaking in the sense of scary, and what is said in public is nothing compared to what they really think.

PS Just Before Sunrise