Perspective from the 19^th Hole 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 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 is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

In recent years, I have come to enjoy reading Atlantic Magazine for the quality of its journalism.

So, it is no surprise that, again recently, writers there produced another solid article that appeared under this headline:  “The Once-Shameless President Is Deeply Embarrassed.”

A piece by writer Jonathan Lemire began this way:

“As Donald Trump faces one humiliation after another, he is attacking those he blames.

“One of Trump’s superpowers is his shamelessness.  Most of the time, he demonstrates a singular ability to shrug off — or flat-out lie about — scandals or missteps that would have caused another politician’s career to self-immolate.

• “Get caught on an Access Hollywood video boasting about abusing women?  That’s just locker-room talk!
• “Grow insecure about crowd size? The photo must be doctored!
• “Mistakenly suggest that Alabama was in the path of a hurricane? Someone get a Sharpie and a map!

 “Trump has long been able to shrug off a bad headline and move on to the next news cycle, counting on his base to swallow his claims and never waver in their support.”

The Atlantic suggests that Trump’s shamelessness may be facing a “undeniably bad spot.”  His poll numbers have tumbled, and “Republicans are fearful that they will lose at least one chamber of Congress this November.”

As for Trump, of course, he just moves on.

He is not like any other political figure.  He appears to like controversy, for it enables him to function like the narcissist he is, which is that everything revolves around him, so he says, believe me, no matter facts or realities.

I wish his low standing in public opinion polls would begin to take an effect on him, but I know I’ll be disappointed.

Regarding The Atlantic, it gained fame a year or so ago when its editor, Jeffrey Goldberg, was added to a government national security phone call to discuss U.S. war powers.  He couldn’t believe it and most other observers couldn’t either.

A top journalist on the left was told about war plans!  Incredible.

Abiding by various national security concerns, Goldberg wrote effectively about what was an incredible beach, soon to be called “Signalgate.”

But it was just another example among many about how Trump and his sycophants have made a shambles of federal administration, often by not appearing to care if U.S. citizens suffer, either those in the military or those who are immigrants.

For me, a bottom-line question is whether we can survive almost two more years of Trump’s shameless behavior.

As I reach the end of this blog, I just thought of another shameless action by Trump, which, for me, still ranks as one of his worst actions since he has been in office.  I cannot believe Trump criticized the late Senator John McCain as being a coward because he was captured during the Vietnam War.

“I like people who weren’t captured,” Trump said.

How could such an idea even cross Trump’s mind or found its way out of his mouth?

McCain was a true national hero.

Oh yeah, Trump never served in the military – or in any other way.

Shameless!