Silence of the Lambs

These are very difficult times, some say perilous.

The President is on a course that only he understands. His closest advisors seem almost always out of the loop. Those not so close know absolutely nothing.

If the President has any real confidants or advisors, they are outside the government – long standing friends and key people at Fox.

That all decisions, including the newest one inviting Putin to Washington, seem very close to the vest, matters little. The President has been able throughout to maintain an unbreakable connection with some 40% of the electorate. And it is that 40% that holds the Republicans in Congress in a tight vise, cowering and silent.

Most significant, the President seems uninterested in widening his sphere of influence. He is almost cocoon-like, listening and counseling himself only.

And so, we have the naked reality that no one outside his cadre of informal advisors, and perhaps not even they, can influence decisions and otherwise counsel the President.

This is all a first for America and for the world. It is, in fact, exceedingly dangerous, and our Constitution is silent as to what to do. Many are waiting for the next election in 2018, hoping that the tide will turn and Congress will again participate. But, November is a way away, and the President and his close collaborators may have still more in store for us before another election.

If Democrats are unable to take the House, two more years of a totally unchecked President may be more than the world can handle.