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 (Les AuCoin), 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.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that it what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions like.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

The metaphor in the headline refers to a moment this week when the bridge that has carried Donald Trump for years began to crack with the weight of Trump’s stupidity.

Retired General James Mattis ended his self-imposed silence on Trump with these telling words:

“Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try. Instead, he tries to divide us.”

To continue the image in the headline, I hope the bridge capsizes all the way as a show of American intolerance for the worst president in U.S. history.

Washington Post writer David Ignatius deserves credit for the metaphor in a piece this morning.  It read:

“The military establishment’s anger at President Trump’s politicization of the armed forces has been building for three years.  It finally ripped open in the aftermath of Monday’s appalling presidential photo op at St. John’s Episcopal Church.

“The break was a decisive moment in the Trump presidency.  But such inflection points are mysterious.  Why does a bridge that has carried a million vehicles suddenly collapse when one more heavy load rumbles across?  It’s not a linear process but a sudden discontinuity. Mathematicians call it ‘catastrophe theory.’

“The catastrophe Monday was that Trump was advocating what military officers dread most.  He was preparing to mobilize the armed forces to suppress protests by U.S. citizens against racial injustice and police brutality.  For military officers who have sworn an oath to defend the Constitution, this was overload.  The structure cracked.”

To adjust the metaphor a bit, Trump’s recent threat to use the military to advance his political cause was a “bridge too far” for some.

Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski:  “When I saw General Mattis’ comments yesterday, I felt like perhaps we’re getting to the point where we can be more honest with the concerns that we might hold internally and have the courage of our own convictions to speak up.”

Former Trump Chief of Staff John Kelly:  He corrected Trump by saying that Mattis was not fired by Trump – Mattis left the administration left when he could no longer tolerate Trump’s behavior, especially his stupidity toward the military.

Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney:  He concurred with Murkowski and welcomed her into what may a growing group of some Republicans willing to challenge Trump.  [Some, of course, will continue to bow at the altar of Trump and latest to do so again is Senator Lindsay Graham who should be turned of office for his Trump duplicity.]

Retired chairman of the military Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Mullen:  He reached his choke point in a piece entitled “I Cannot Remain Silent.” It challenged Trump’s consideration of using active-duty troops to put down the protesters.  “I am deeply worried that as they execute their orders, the members of our military will be co-opted for political purposes.” Mullen wrote.

Columnist George Will, a long-time Republican:  He wrote a scathing piece for the Wall Street Journal that began this way:  “This unraveling presidency began with the Crybaby-in-Chief banging his spoon on his highchair tray to protest a photograph — a photograph — showing that his inauguration crowd the day before had been smaller than the one four years previous.  Since then, this weak person’s idea of a strong person, this chest-pounding advertisement of his own gnawing insecurities, this low-rent Lear raging on his Twitter-heath has proven that the phrase malignant buffoon is not an oxymoron.”

All of this will be good news for a partner of mine in my old lobbying firm.  He has been very concerned lately that more Republicans are not running away from Trump, including by making public comments about Trump’s clear incapacity for ANY form of cogent leadership.

My partner has a point.  It is past time for all persons – Republicans, Democrats and Independents (like myself) — to rise up in opposition to Trump.  If you don’t have a soapbox to promulgate your opposition, so be it – just oppose Trump.

Such opposition is long overdue.  The best opportunity to express it is at the polls this fall.

Throw Trump out of office give the Oval Office to a person who has leadership credentials to occupy it, the presumptive Democrat nominee Joe Biden.