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 to 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 press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon, as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as 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.

The headline in this blog contemplates an unthinkable prospect – me being involved directly in the impeachment process.

If I somehow got stuck in the process, I wouldn’t want the involvement. I would not volunteer for it or allow myself to be drafted.

All of that said, I do have a few thoughts about the process, if, perish the thought, I was involved:

• I would never look at polls because, frankly, in today’s news cycle, they are not accurate. Because co-called “news” trips out moment by moment, it is impossible to test public opinion. At least not possible to do so accurately, even if the reputation of the pollster or polling firm is beyond reproach.
• I would avoid trying to keep up with the incessant tweets from President Donald Trump who strikes me as increasingly unhinged. He illustrated his off-the-wall craziness when, earlier this week, he made the Finnish president sit through his by-the-seat-of-his-pants news conference.

As a general rule, I think even the reputable press – such as the Wall Street on the center right and the Washington Post on the center left – pay far too much intention to Trump’s tweets. Let him emote without giving what he happens to say even more air time and space?

• I would work hard to come to my own conclusions on the impeachment inquiry, given the gravity of such a process in our political life.

For me, it is tempting to come to an early conclusion because the president has reacted so brazenly over his now-three years in office. I find his behavior beyond the pale for someone who holds the highest political office in our land – and I say that without regard, at this moment, to supposed policy positions on various issues, if, in fact, Trump ever works hard enough to establish a “policy position.”

I also worry that the person who is leading the House impeachment process, Representative Adam Schiff, is behaving so far in a way that does not lend credibility to the process. Rather, his conduct gives aid and comfort to Trump and those who believe the impeachment process is only a coup for those who still cannot believe Trump won the presidency in 2016.

The process needs to work effectively to reinforce faith on the part of the American public that it – the process – will proceed in a fair and fact-based approach, not one oriented to various public pronouncements from the politicos among the Ds, the Rs or Trump.

For once in our recent political life, let’s facts prevail.