Irwin Shaw said in his famous short story, "Tip of a Dead Jockey,"
"...In this age there comes a time when everyone finds that he is forced to gamble--and not for money, and not only at the seller's window. And when that time comes and you are not in the habit, and it does not amuse you, you are most likely to lose."
The President is a gambler. He's been forcing himself to sit at the table and go to the window more and more lately. There is no book of strategies, no Daily Racing Form for his pursuits. None is needed because this is an old tale. The better adage might be, "A man should never gamble, more than he can stand to lose. The President is obsessed with loyalty. Trouble is that the concept has flipped on him. The greater loyalty has become elevated to the Constitution and a sense of ethics. The moral compass has turned. Our Constitution works when tested. Ethical people rather than the craven autocratic demigods catch more bees because they are the honey of human values. It occurred to me recently that the Rosetta Stone will surface in his tax returns. Those elusive documents that never seem to be available. Now that immunity from prosecution has been extended to most everyone who possesses a key to the kingdom, the dark corridors of manipulative duplicity will feel the light. The treasure will be there for the taking and the tiny man who does not feel the need to read books will fulfill the role of naked emperor. If they weren't really loyal to you, Mr. President, what or who were they loyal to? The idea that you might have some decency? The job you so graciously provided...for a fee? A deeper sense of principle that is as alien to you as the ability to dissect complex issues.
The sociopath can easily lie. Far easier for them than to tell the truth. The President's lawyer said, "The truth is not truth." Think about that for a minute. Not only are they not bothered by deliberately misleading, they are often unable to do the right thing...because it is not the right thing. The President would rather collect the wages of the gamblers he panders to. But the time has come for him to gamble. He who boasted about being able to shoot someone on the streets of New York and get away with it. He whose appointments often wait for the adversary to "bow down." He who has his name on the "tremendous" erections he has blessed the world with...must now roll the dice, pick the winner, show his hand. Get away with it? No just get away.
"...In this age there comes a time when everyone finds that he is forced to gamble--and not for money, and not only at the seller's window. And when that time comes and you are not in the habit, and it does not amuse you, you are most likely to lose."
The President is a gambler. He's been forcing himself to sit at the table and go to the window more and more lately. There is no book of strategies, no Daily Racing Form for his pursuits. None is needed because this is an old tale. The better adage might be, "A man should never gamble, more than he can stand to lose. The President is obsessed with loyalty. Trouble is that the concept has flipped on him. The greater loyalty has become elevated to the Constitution and a sense of ethics. The moral compass has turned. Our Constitution works when tested. Ethical people rather than the craven autocratic demigods catch more bees because they are the honey of human values. It occurred to me recently that the Rosetta Stone will surface in his tax returns. Those elusive documents that never seem to be available. Now that immunity from prosecution has been extended to most everyone who possesses a key to the kingdom, the dark corridors of manipulative duplicity will feel the light. The treasure will be there for the taking and the tiny man who does not feel the need to read books will fulfill the role of naked emperor. If they weren't really loyal to you, Mr. President, what or who were they loyal to? The idea that you might have some decency? The job you so graciously provided...for a fee? A deeper sense of principle that is as alien to you as the ability to dissect complex issues.
The sociopath can easily lie. Far easier for them than to tell the truth. The President's lawyer said, "The truth is not truth." Think about that for a minute. Not only are they not bothered by deliberately misleading, they are often unable to do the right thing...because it is not the right thing. The President would rather collect the wages of the gamblers he panders to. But the time has come for him to gamble. He who boasted about being able to shoot someone on the streets of New York and get away with it. He whose appointments often wait for the adversary to "bow down." He who has his name on the "tremendous" erections he has blessed the world with...must now roll the dice, pick the winner, show his hand. Get away with it? No just get away.
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