PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.

It doesn’t take a genius to suggest that President Donald Trump is in even more trouble these days than he was even a few days ago.

To illustrate, even I can recognize the jeopardy!

The box Trump created for himself got smaller as two former associates, Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort, had their days in court. In different ways, both were found guilty of misdeeds, which, even to an unpracticed eye, looked like they involved Trump.

Cohen’s attorney said as much as his client struck a plea deal with prosecutors, which could end up with Cohen serving up to five years in prison.

The court decision on Manafort did not implicate Trump in so many words, but it seemed logical to contend that our current president, the worst in history, had conspired with Manafort to commit various violations.

What I have written above is what you would have seen had you read any on-line newspaper last week. So, why repeat it here?

For me, two reasons. First, I always feel better if I share my thoughts and feeling better is a main purpose of this blog, regardless of who reads it. Second, my purpose is to share my sense of the implications of two legal decisions, far removed as I am from the seat of action in the East, for our sitting president, as well as the country. So, here goes:

• Rather than having a president who continues to defy justice and ethical behavior, we should have one who lives up to the expectations cited recently by Bill McRaven, the retired military veteran who managed the raid by U.S. troops that killed Osama Bin Laden. Here is what McRaven said:

“Like most Americans, I had hoped that, when you (Trump) became president, you would rise to the occasion and become the leader this great nation needs.

“A good leader tries to embody the best qualities of his or her organization. A good leader sets the example for others to follow. A good leader always puts the welfare of others before himself or herself.

“Your leadership, however, has shown little of these qualities. Through your actions, you have embarrassed us in the eyes of our children, humiliated us on the world stage and, worst of all, divided us as a nation.”

• It won’t be long before Trump joins Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton who came under severe criticism while they held the nation’s highest political office. Nixon resigned under pressure; Clinton endured an impeachment trial in Congress. Either of these could encompass Trump.
• It won’t take long for Trump to blame someone else for his misdeeds. In fact, he almost immediately dodged, bobbed and weaved, which, if you think about it for a moment, involve three different skills – and Trump exemplifies each. That’s what he always does – shift blame. Of course, I guess if he were to admit misdeeds, he’d be out of office.
• As all of us go through this kind of travesty, the involvement takes away what should be pleasure in seeing a U.S. economy that continues to percolate along and has set a milestone as the longest standing of any recovery. If Trump were smarter – and he is clearly not the smartest person in the room as he always contends – he would take solace, if not credit, in economic growth. Instead, he aggravates it most every day with continuing threats of more tariffs, as well as off-the-cuff comments that roil the stock market.

So, in summary, I believe we are watching the beginning of the end of the Trump Administration. For my belief, it cannot come too soon.

PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.

On many of my trips down by blog lane, I have bemoaned the lost art of political compromise.

I often have called it the lost art of finding the “smart middle” in political discourse and policy-making. Those on both sides would rather criticize each other, often in crude terms, than find areas of agreement.

So it was this morning that I read a piece by former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker, who served under President George W. Bush, in which he lauded the late Senator John McCain for his ability “reach across the aisle” and find compromise.

For me, there is no better way to underline the goals of the smart middle than to quote excerpts of Baker’s excellent commentary.

• “The death of Sen. John McCain is not just a moment to commemorate the life of an extraordinary man; it is an occasion to reflect on his principles. McCain was a hero and patriot, but he also was a politician who understood the importance of compromise. A staunch Republican, he nonetheless was able to reach across the aisle when he thought the interests of the American people demanded it. “
• “Few lawmakers today follow McCain’s example of compromise. Whatever one party proposes, the other opposes reflexively. When a legislator attempts to bridge the gap, his constituents often consider it a betrayal. No wonder so much of the public’s business is left undone. Government has become incapable of tackling critical issues. Instead, the parties ping-pong blame back and forth depending on which side is in power.
• “In my 88 years, I have never witnessed a problem as vexing as the continuing deterioration of America’s political dialogue. Although other threats during my lifetime have jeopardized our security—five hot wars and a cold one, the Great Depression and the Great Recession—Americans conquered them by working together rather than against one another.”
• “Sadly, however, civility, compromise and respect for the political center are being replaced with vicious language, pernicious partisanship and crippling polarization. The problems recur at every level of our political system, as our once firm center has given way to a destructive hyper-partisanship.”
• “In addition to this dislike for each other, distrust of politicians and institutions also has grown. Rather than address the real problems of the day, Americans and our representatives spend time blaming one another for our ills—both real and perceived.
• “There have always been partisan political fights in this country—that’s part of the democratic debate that has helped the American experiment work so well. But in the past leaders demonstrated common civility toward each other to reach the elusive center in governance. Doing so required each side to take positions that both could accept.”
• “In a statement publicized after his death, McCain stressed that Americans should take time to listen to one another, because brokering solutions requires measured collaboration, not torrents of outrage.”

Baker concluded by writing that, while there many causes behind this partisan divide, if it is left unaddressed, the void “threatens to undermine our democracy. “

Well said. Where are the James Baker types when we need them?

PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.

Only a day or so after his passing, the U.S. senator from Arizona, John McCain, appeared to have the last word in his continuing fight with President Donald Trump.

In a farewell letter (which is worth publishing in its entirety in this blog – see below), McCain didn’t mention Trump by name, but delivered a veiled rebuke, as he “called on Americans to rally behind the country’s founding ideals rather than hiding behind walls and succumbing to political tribalism. “

McCain’s letter continued: “We weaken our greatness when we confuse our patriotism with tribal rivalries that have sown resentment and hatred and violence in all the corners of the globe. We weaken it when we hide behind walls, rather than tear them down, when we doubt the power of our ideals, rather than trust them to be the great force for change they have always been.”

The Wall Street Journal called “The extraordinary letter a defiant coda to the years-long battle between the two men,” which started when Trump, incredibly, said McCain, who spent more than five years as a POW in Vietnam, was “not a war hero because he was captured.” Trump continued to snub the longtime senator throughout his battle with brain cancer.

McCain, in turn, pulled no punches in criticizing the president on foreign policy and other issues, most recently in a stinging denunciation of Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladi­mir Putin in Helsinki last month.

For Trump, flags at the White House even became an issue. First, he ordered that flags be flown at half-staff for only one day, a decision which stood in contrast to other such decisions on the passing of major public officials. Then, under increasing criticism, Trump wilted and ordered the flags at half-staff until McCain’s interment.

As for the last word, here is a reprint of letter McCain wrote for release after his death.

“My fellow Americans, whom I have gratefully served for sixty years, and especially my fellow Arizonans,

“Thank you for the privilege of serving you and for the rewarding life that service in uniform and in public office has allowed me to lead. I have tried to serve our country honorably. I have made mistakes, but I hope my love for America will be weighed favorably against them.

“I have often observed that I am the luckiest person on earth. I feel that way even now as I prepare for the end of my life. I have loved my life, all of it. I have had experiences, adventures and friendships enough for ten satisfying lives, and I am so thankful. Like most people, I have regrets. But I would not trade a day of my life, in good or bad times, for the best day of anyone else’s.

“I owe that satisfaction to the love of my family. No man ever had a more loving wife or children he was prouder of than I am of mine. And I owe it to America. To be connected to America’s causes – liberty, equal justice, respect for the dignity of all people – brings happiness more sublime than life’s fleeting pleasures. Our identities and sense of worth are not circumscribed but enlarged by serving good causes bigger than ourselves.

“‘Fellow Americans’ – that association has meant more to me than any other. I lived and died a proud American. We are citizens of the world’s greatest republic, a nation of ideals, not blood and soil. We are blessed and are a blessing to humanity when we uphold and advance those ideals at home and in the world. We have helped liberate more people from tyranny and poverty than ever before in history. We have acquired great wealth and power in the process.

“We weaken our greatness when we confuse our patriotism with tribal rivalries that have sown resentment and hatred and violence in all the corners of the globe. We weaken it when we hide behind walls, rather than tear them down, when we doubt the power of our ideals, rather than trust them to be the great force for change they have always been.

“We are three-hundred-and-twenty-five million opinionated, vociferous individuals. We argue and compete and sometimes even vilify each other in our raucous public debates. But we have always had so much more in common with each other than in disagreement. “If only we remember that and give each other the benefit of the presumption that we all love our country we will get through these challenging times. We will come through them stronger than before. We always do.

“Ten years ago, I had the privilege to concede defeat in the election for president. I want to end my farewell to you with the heartfelt faith in Americans that I felt so powerfully that evening.

“I feel it powerfully still.

“Do not despair of our present difficulties but believe always in the promise and greatness of America, because nothing is inevitable here. Americans never quit. We never surrender. We never hide from history. We make history.

“Farewell, fellow Americans. God bless you, and God bless America.”

And, I say farwell, John McCain, a true American hero, imperfect, to be sure, as we all are, but still a hero for his principled sacrifice and strong stands over his 81-year life.

******

As a footnote, the U.S. Senate is considering an appropriate tribute for McCain, but the decision will wait until after McCain’s memorial services. One option is to rename the Russell Senate Office Building after McCain, at least in part because of Senator Russell’s pro-segregation stance.

PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.

This, remember, is one of three departments I run with a free hand to manage them as I choose. Call me a dictator, not a director.

GETTING MY HANDS BACK ON PAPER: As a former journalist for a daily newspaper, I always have been fond of holding paper in my hands – even if it meant getting newsprint on my fingers – to read stories about news, sports and other topics.

So, it was that, in this age of technology, I had become more comfortable than I realized looking at newspapers – including the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, not to mention the Oregonian and the Salem Statesman-Journal – on-line.

Then, this morning, there was a change.

My copy of the Wall Street Journal came early so I was able to read it in my hands.

Good.

I’ll probably continue following a combination of on-line and real-paper newspapers, but I have to confess that it was good to get back this morning to my former dirty-hands process.

REMEMBERING A GREAT QUOTE: Remember when then U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen, running for vice president a number of years ago, effectively skewered his opponent, Republican Dan Quayle, in a national debate.

With a hint of a sly grin on his face, Bentsen said, “Mr. Quayle, you are no Ted Kennedy!”

Quayle never recovered from the jibe.

All of this was called to mind this morning when I read a column in the Wall Street Journal by William McGurn. It was headlined, “She’s no Ted Kennedy!”

It was in reference to Senator Elizabeth Warren, who wants the top liberal mantle as she runs for president in 2020.

“Here’s some bad news for Senator Warren,” McGurn wrote. “I remember Ted Kennedy. I watched when Ted Kennedy turned Robert Bork’s name into a nasty verb. And I say this to the woman who now holds the late senator’s seat: Ms. Warren, you are no Ted Kennedy.”

TOUGH CHOICES AREN’T REALLY THAT TOUGH: I write that after reading another column in the Wall Street Journal this morning, one by Gerald Seib, who often comments sagely about political developments.

This morning, here is what he wrote:

“All of this means Republican candidates have a dual mission right now: Keep motivating base Trump voters, who want full-throated defenses of the president and odes to his hard-line immigration policies, while also luring mainstream Republicans and independents who dislike the president, but like lower taxes and less regulation.”

Seib is probably right – Republicans need to expand their tent in order to avoid a Democrat takeover this fall. But my view is that the good economic news – lower taxes and less regulation – could happen with another president, probably a Republican. What I cannot stomach is Trump’s continuing over-the-top, blabber-mouth, unethical behavior, which he continues to exhibit every day.

PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.

Many years ago, I didn’t know what the phrase in the headline meant. “There is a place.”

Say what or perhaps even so what?

But, after many years traveling to Black Butte Ranch in Central Oregon, I now know that “there is a place.” It refers to Black Butte where there is a sense of contentment, peace and relaxation, all amid the wonder of nature.

It’s exactly 100 miles east from Salem, which, for us as Salem residents, made it a relatively easy trip. In the winter, we often had to be a bit careful heading over the Santiam Pass, but snow tires made it possible.

We began heading over to Black Butte when our kids were young and they developed the same love for “the place.” So much so that, when our son and daughter-in-law had their own daughter, they wanted to replicate our family’s early lifestyle.

They arranged for us to buy a cabin at Black Butte and, for the next 10 years or so, it became a place of relaxation and solitude. We hated to have to sell it just earlier this year.

We’ll still make the trek east to visit Black Butte, but, in some ways, it won’t be same without being “homeowners.”

Bend magazine recently wrote about Black Butte in these words:

“Heading northwest, the fringes of Bend in the rearview mirror, the highway straightens, meadows on either side. The sky seems bigger here, and makes you feel as if you could go on forever. That’s when your eye gets hold of it—nature’s perfect isosceles triangle, graphite against the blue.

“Black Butte, its sweeping, elegant lines unmarred by the glacial chiseling that carved neighboring pinnacles, suggests a relatively peaceful backstory, but it’s all a facade, geologically speaking. It erupted about one-and-a-half million years ago, burying the Metolius River, creating swampy meadows to the south, and, at the northern base, springs where the river now emerges.

“Ever since, people have been traveling here. Local indigenous people named the volcano Turututu. Native Americans migrating west from the Great Basin camped here, leaving behind tools found to be about 1,000 years old, confirming the oral history. Settlers began calling it Black Butte around 1855.

“Cattle and horse ranching began in the 1880s, when Till Glaze built the area’s first house—a modest log cabin in a sprawling meadow. In the mid 1930s, wealthy San Franciscan Stewart S. Lowery bought the property and named it Black Butte Ranch. He and his family spent summers there, horseback riding and swimming in their large pool, while the ranching continued.

“Brooks Resources bought the property in 1970 and began developing a residential resort with limited commercial activity. The company had encouraged local business to develop instead in the nearby town of Sisters, a lumber town in decline. The company offered merchants $5,000 and free architectural help to create an 1880s theme, which endures today and has thrived. From quaint spots for ice cream and cowboy boots to a spa, microbrewery, and independent movie theater, the town is all 1880s outside and a mix of modernity and nostalgia inside.

“Meanwhile, Black Butte Ranch has more than 1,250 homes, 18 miles of paved bike paths, 17 tennis courts, five swimming pools, three restaurants, a general store, and two 18-hole championship golf course, Big Meadow and Glaze Meadow.”

Regarding Brooks Resources, the Black Butte Ranch developer, I was fortunate enough to know Mike Hollern, one of the principals in the company. He had a love for “the place,” one that enabled him to lead development of a great “destination resort” in Central Oregon.

He was able to assure that, while there was development, Black Butte would retain its commitment “to living within the land,” not just “on the land.”

A walk or bike ride across a major meadow at the Ranch still provides a sense of awe and appreciation as you see mountains in the distance, cattle on the grass and birds flying everywhere.

When we arrive at Black Butte from our busy lifestyle, my always says she feels a sense of peace as we drive through the front entrance. I feel the same way.

So, we’ll be back time and again.

PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.

I cannot believe that President Donald Trump doesn’t try to capitalize more on the state of the U.S. economy, which, on his watch, is growing at a record pace.

He may not be solely or directly responsible for the growth, but presidents often live or die politically with the state of the economy.

Trump should be living!

Of course, instead of emphasizing the positive character of what is occurring, he takes three other actions: (1) he continues to blame everyone else for the Mueller investigation troubles, including guilty results for two of his long-time colleagues, Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort; (2) he risks economic gains by threatening more tariffs and roiling the stock market; and (3) he intentionally snubs U.S. hero John McCain at the time of his death.

The dissonance could not be greater.

This was called to mind for me when I read a column by Jason Riley in the Wall Street Journal. Here is what he wrote:

“Take the economy, which is faring better under Trump by many measures than it has in a generation or longer. Each week throughout this summer has brought almost nothing but economic sunshine. The pace of factory hiring has more than doubled since last year. A July survey from the National Federation of Independent Business notes that optimism among small-business owners, who employ nearly half the nation’s private-sector workforce, is at levels not seen since 1983. Wages are also increasing, which was reflected in a Commerce Department report last week that showed retail sales—on groceries, restaurants and clothing—far exceeding economic forecasts and surging at double the rate of inflation.

‘The best feature of this economic growth is its inclusiveness. The simultaneous gains among various demographic groups is something the country hasn’t experienced in a long time, if ever. Older workers, women, minorities, seniors and the less-educated all are faring better in the labor force today than they did under President Obama. The jobless rate for Americans age 16 to 24 hit a 50-year low this summer. In May, the black unemployment rate dipped to 5.9 per cent, the lowest number on record at the Bureau of Labor Statistics. People who had stopped looking for work are sending out resumes. More people are quitting jobs because they are confident that a better one awaits. Employers are increasing perks and benefits in an effort to attract new hires and keep the ones they already have. There were 6.7 million job openings last quarter, a 17-year high.”

Of course, economic growth won’t last – the valley will come – but everyone should appreciate the current up-cycle.

When I worked for Oregon Governor Vic Atiyeh more than 30 years ago, we tried to be careful about citing a gubernatorial responsibility either for economic growth or stagnation. After all, there is only so much any governor can do to boost the economy.

One action governors can take is to expect state government to live within its means, so it doesn’t became a drain on economic growth. Atiyeh, with his superb credentials, lived this out on a daily basis during his two terms in office.

For presidents, the issues are different. They can take a variety of actions to boost economic growth – and then they can credit or debit for the results…not singular credit or debit, but some of each.

Trump doesn’t do this. Instead, he creates the widest chasm possible between his actions and the economy. In doing so, he continues to miss the benefit of a surging U.S. economy.

To change the subject just a bit, in the last few days Trump only has served to elevate his terrible personal credentials. He intentionally failed to commend Senator John McCain, a true American hero, on his passing.

To Trump, nothing matters more than aggrandizing his own so-called credentials – who cares about the economy – and minimizing the credentials of others, including, in this case, McCain who deserves the nation’s respect for his life of service.

PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.

I could have, perhaps even should have, included this quote in my recent post on the lingering feud between the late Senator John McCain and President Donald Trump which continued until McCain’s death.

According to a Wall Street Journal editorial:  “McCain’s calling card was honor and character. When he was fished out of that lake in downtown Hanoi, the North Vietnamese first withheld treatment until they discovered his father was an admiral and commander of naval forces in Europe. The late, great Admiral James Stockdale, who was tortured in that prison, says McCain ‘received an offer that, as far as I know, was made to no other American prisoner: immediate release, no strings attached.’

“The young pilot told the Vietnamese what they could do with their special treatment, effectively sentencing himself to four more years of beatings. This reflected his profound sense of duty. In the Hanoi Hilton he and his fellow POWs resisted the enemy despite torture and returned with honor.”

Honor and character!

How true.  And to underline the point in my original post:  How different than Trump.

PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write. 

It struck me as incredible that, even as Senator John McCain faced imminent death early last week, President Donald Trump could not bring himself to express condolences.

Yet, when McCain passed away yesterday, Trump finally produced a quick, though relatively pro-forma, Tweet: “My deepest sympathies and respect go out to the family of Senator John McCain. Our hearts and prayers are with you!”

I say good. As McCain died, Trump finally paid a little tribute.

The fight between Trump and McCain had reached epic proportions in recent years, indicating that, at least in this case, politics trumped (pardon the word) sensibility.

From my post out of the fray in the West, Trump’s dismissive attitude about McCain always amazed me. His comment that McCain was not an American hero because he was captured during the Vietnam War should have been an embarrassment to everyone who touted Trump’s ability to rise to be U.S. president, then applauded him when he succeeded.

Even supporters of the military gave Trump a pass on how he ridiculed a prisoner of war who fought bravely for his country.

I never gave Trump that pass. It was one of the worst of his criticisms of others, and it led me to cement my opposition to the worst of U.S. presidents.

Tributes to McCain came in pouring in yesterday. A brief summary:

• From former president George W. Bush: “John McCain was a man of deep conviction and a patriot of the highest order.”
• From former president Bill Clinton: “Senator John McCain believed that every citizen has a responsibility to make something of the freedoms given by our Constitution, and from his heroic service in the Navy to his 35 years in Congress, he lived by his creed every day.”
• From McCain’s rival for the Republican nomination in the 2008 presidential race, Mitt Romney: “John McCain defined a life of honor.”
• From Majority Leader Mitch McConnell: “In an era filled with cynicism about national unity and public service, John McCain’s life shone as a bright example. He showed us that boundless patriotism and self-sacrifice are not outdated concepts or clichés, but the building blocks of an extraordinary American life.”
• From Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer: “As you go through life, you meet few truly great people. John McCain was one of them. His dedication to his country and the military were unsurpassed, and maybe most of all, he was a truth teller — never afraid to speak truth to power in an era where that has become all too rare. The Senate, the United States, and the world are lesser places without John McCain.”

Schumer also said he would propose a resolution to name a Senate building in McCain’s honor. For a person who loved the institution of the Senate, it would be a fitting honor.

McCain was a true American hero. I didn’t always agree with him on his political views, but so what. He did what he did with commitment and honor, providing a good example for how to be a statesman.

PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.

This department, one of three I run, is open again after closing for only a few days. The reality is that there are so many good quotes it is not possible to leave the department closed for too long.

So, here goes.

From William Galston in the Wall Street Journal: “There is a reason, however, why witnesses swear to tell not only the truth, but also the whole truth and nothing but the truth. An individual fact is usually one strand of a complex ensemble of facts. Stating one fact while leaving others unsaid can distort as much as it reveals. Stating a fact while misrepresenting others is a strategy of concealment. This is what prompted Churchill’s famous remark that ‘in wartime, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies.’

“Churchill’s statement reminds us that there are two ways of misconstruing facts—inadvertent and deliberate. The former is a mistake, the latter a deceit. It’s usually not hard to determine the difference. If someone who misstates a fact corrects himself when given compelling evidence, the error is a mistake; if not, a lie—or an article of faith masquerading as an empirical proposition.”

Comment: The New York Times and other media outlets have taken pains to count the number of lies or half-truths Trump has told. The number is in the thousands. Rarely, if ever, does he walk back false statements. He just tells more lies in an effort – sometimes successful to a degree – to steer the media away from the real story and onto his version of truth, which, frankly, does not exist.

From the Wall Street Journal editorial writers: “The smarter political play might be to wait until 2020 and ride a potential wave of national fatigue with Trump, but don’t underestimate the degree to which liberals want this president to be politically humiliated and legally punished. Read their Twitter feeds and columns if you don’t believe us.”

Comment: The point of the editorial was to suggest that, rather than impeachment if they take control of Congress in the coming elections, a better strategy would be to weaken Trump between now and 2020 so the D candidate for president, whomever that is to be, would have an easier time taking Trump down. Perhaps. Whatever is the case, plan on a couple years of seemingly never-ending controversy over the Trump Administration. [There’s that word again, administration, which surely cannot describe Trump as he flies by the seat of his pants.]

More from the Wall Street Journal: “Trump is a leader who demands loyalty without offering much in return. The seemingly paradoxical strategy helped get him to the presidency with an eclectic cadre cheering him on.”

Comment: The Journal’s comment was in relation to the feud between Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions who appears on the way out if only because he is now not loyal to Trump.

From Michael Gerson in the Washington Post: “Every time we gain a peek into the inner workings of Trump world, we see a leader with the ethics of an Atlantic City casino owner who surrounds himself with people chosen for their willingness to lie and cheat at his bidding. A world in which Paul Manafort is ‘a very good person.’ A world in which payoffs and election tampering are all in a day’s work.”

Comment: Gerson is right. In Trump, “we have a leader who surrounds himself with people chosen for their willingness to lie and cheat at his bidding.” Without moral bearings, Trump himself comes across as a liar and a cheater.

More from the Wall Street Journal: “Officials granted leave to nonessential state employees.”

Comment: This sentence was part of a story on hurricane force winds and rain pummeling the Hawaiian Islands. I could have placed this item in the Department of Pet Peeves, but I wonder why governments have employees if there are not essential. What, in the world, is a non-essential state employee?

PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.

This is one of three departments I run. No one tells me when to open this department or what it should do. So call me a dictator, with the ability to call out pet peeves when I choose to do so.

USING PLURAL PRONOUNS TO MODIFY SINGULAR NOUNS: One of my pet peeves is when otherwise good writers use a plural pronoun to modify a singular subject. Here is an example from hill.com:

“The jury in the trial of Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort will begin their third day of deliberations on Monday.”

The word “their” should have been the word “its” as a modifier of the single noun, “jury.”

Does anyone care about this pet peeve? Probably not much, but for whatever reason, the mistake is one that grates on my ears.

THE WORD “TRADITION:” Or, for another pet peeve, consider the word “tradition.” It is often said that a tradition is being started. Impossible. You cannot start a tradition.

Here is the dictionary definition of the word: “The handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc., from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or by practice.”

Thus, what can be done is to start something you hope becomes a tradition.

Does anyone care about this pet peeve? Probably not.

BEING A “TWEENER” IN GOLF: As a golfer, I am what could be called a “tweener.” That means that I carry a single digit handicap, which carries two implications:

(a) I am not able to beat a scratch golfer on a gross score basis (which is fine because, in sports competitions, there is no problem for me if the best player wins), and

(b) I am usually not able to beat a higher handicap player, especially if that player is what we call in the game of golf “a sandbagger.”

Sandbagger refers to a player who does not observe golf as game of honor and, instead, keeps his handicap higher than it should be in order to win most of the time.

Does anyone care about this pet peeve? Probably not. But it was fulfilling for me to write about it in the words above.

THE BLAME GAME PRACTICED BY DONALD TRUMP: I have written several times about this worst of all U.S. presidents. I may do so any time the Department of Pet Peeves opens because Trump deserves to be called out time and again.

In the wake of guilty verdicts for two of his allies – Michael Gohen and Paul Manafort – Trump was quick to blame others…anyone else.

One hopes his blame game only works until he is caught in the net and has to give up the presidency. Our country would be better for it.

Does anyone care about this pet peeve? I hope everyone does.