Trump is resigning little by litte

The good news is Donald Trump has begun to resign the Presidency, piece by piece. The bad news is he clings to office five days a week. He gives up chunks of the job little by little but wants the title while filling his pockets, promoting his business empire, self-servicing his ego, and playing golf more often that he accused his predecessor.

“In a new interview with Reuters looking back at his First 100 Days in office, the President reveals that not only does he “miss his old life” before he entered public office but he also out and out thought that “being president would be easier” than he’s found it to be thus far.” (See http://uproxx.com/news/donald-trump-first-100-days-misses-old-life/).

To be fair, it’s a tough job; one he never expected he’d get when he applied. Everything he did during the job application process was designed to make sure the American people didn’t hire him. But they did. He and we are stuck.

Almost without notice, this President has resigned as Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, at least those who are at war in Afghanistan. Trump’s Russian connection could come in handy here. He could talk to Putin about the disastrous time Russian troop had in that country. If he listened, and Trump never listens, he might understand it is time to leave, not time to go deeper.

But no. Instead he has relinquished civilian control over that war. Unprecedented. Dangerous. Trumpian.

The Defense Department describes the American tradition of putting the control of the military in the hands of a civilian, i.e. the President of the United States, the person the Constitution calls “the Commander-in-Chief of the Army and the Navy of the United States.”

Trump wouldn’t know this since he was what Credence Clearwater Revival called a “Fortunate Son.” Remember that anti-Vietnam War protest song?

Some folks are born made to wave the flag;
Ooh, they're red, white and blue
And when the band plays "Hail to the chief"
Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no senator's son, son
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no

Yeah! Some folks are born silver spoon in hand

Military members swear "to support and defend the Constitution of the United States." One of the most critical aspects of that oath is the acceptance of civilian control of the military.

But Trump doesn’t like the job all that much. Being Commander in Chief is a tough job. Remember how it aged Barack Obama and George W. Bush. So, he abdicated that throne. You have to make really tough decisions. It’s not like a reality show. People actually die for real.

President Trump handed his duties over to Secretary of Defense James Mattis, who now has the full authority of the Commander-in-Chief to set US troop levels in Afghanistan.

General Mattis thinks this is a fine idea, telling Congress it’ll make managing the war effort more efficient. "This assures the Department can facilitate our missions and nimbly align our commitment to the situation on the ground.” Hide your sons and daughters.

The founding father knew that managing wars by giving generals control would be easier. It wasn’t supposed to be easier. They didn’t want war makers making those choices. So, they said people civilians like the President should have the responsibility. Of course, the founding fathers never anticipated we’d have a president like Trump.

Then there’s healthcare. News reports quote Trump’s own staff as laughing at the notion that Trump knows or cares about healthcare.  

Trump finds it too complicated. So, he farmed it out to Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell. What they came up with violated every campaign promise Trump made but hey…at least he doesn’t have to do all that homework.

The U.S. has a President who likes the title better than the job. Why? Because actually doing the job is hard but there’s a lot of money to be made in keeping the title.