Robert Mueller says his investigation into U.S. President Donald Trump did not clear Mr. Trump of wrongdoing.NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images
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Riding the rails to 2020
Re Trump Thanks The Democrats, And He Should (editorial, July 25): If you knew that a train approaching its destination had lost its brakes and become an imminent threat to the terminal and all those waiting there, it would probably be prudent to devise a strategy or two to stop it, preferably well before it arrived.
If Democrat and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi won’t pull the trigger on impeachment, the only other entity that can stop this train early enough is the Republican Party.
I know, magical thinking … but if there is within the GOP someone with a strong backbone, deep pockets, and a constituency willing and able to force Donald Trump into a primary, he or she might just score a knockout before Mr. Trump gets on the ballot in 2020. Added bonus: He would then become a realistic target for an indictment. (Getting him out of the White House and into the Big House cannot happen soon enough.)
It’s possible to stop a runaway train within inches of the platform, so I suppose it would also be possible to stop Mr. Trump as late as November, 2020 – but surely the most prudent thing would be to find some way to halt the train as early as possible.
Charlie Sager, Ottawa
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“They’re doing it as we sit here,” Robert Mueller said.
This statement, which referred to ongoing Russian interference in U.S. elections, is the main takeaway from his testimony on Wednesday.
If Democrats abandon attempts to get to the bottom of what happened in the U.S. election, if Democrats fail to hold the President and his family accountable for their actions, then the same thing is going to happen in 2020. If so, there is no guarantee, whatever strategy the Democrats employ, that there will be a fair election where they will have a chance to win.
Your editorial suggests that Democratic investigations are merely partisan showmanship when, in reality, they are an attempt to safeguard American democracy now and in the future.
Terry Lahey, Ottawa
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“The only way to get Mr. Trump out of office is to convince enough Americans to vote for his Democratic opponent in 16 months from now.”
Unfortunately, that will not happen because, like the media, the Democrats have yet to lay a glove on him (to borrow a phrase). Nor do they look likely to find a candidate who might.
Richard Seymour, Brechin, Ont.
Mueller as Reality TV
Re Robert Mueller: Man Of Integrity, Terrible On TV (July 25): Robert Mueller was being cross-examined about what he had written in a 400-page-plus document, which very few people around the world have actually read.
The odd stumble is surely an author’s licence. But anyone listening to the tone and nature of his answers to the specific questions, as well as looking at his sunken eyes and their slight flickers of expression, could have learned a lot about what had happened, and was still ongoing in the subtext of his report.
Reality TV can occasionally be more than one-dimensional.
Peter Bly, Kingston
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After listening to Robert Mueller testify, I realized that there was at least one honourable man in Washington on Wednesday.
As for his “not being made for TV,” in this age of people being famous for being famous, that is the best thing about him.
Kevin Riemer, Pointe-Claire, Que.
Canada’s China file is broken
Re Second Former Envoy Says Ottawa Wants Single Message On China (July 25): I can understand the nervousness of the federal Liberals around China. The Conservatives have already been caught trying to exploit the plight of Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig for political gain. The Chinese regime would love to see the Liberals suffer over the Meng Wanzhou affair.
But trying to discourage former diplomats from speaking out about China is absolutely the wrong approach. We instead need a courageous, principled and informed response to an increasingly assertive and manifestly unprincipled Chinese state. This can only be based on widespread discussion and broad agreement among the Canadian public and its leaders as to how to respond to a China which can no longer be regarded as just another developing country or new business opportunity.
I would be inclined to vote for the party that does the best job of facing the China issue in a responsible way, rather than hiding from it or using it for partisan purposes.
Jim Paulin, Ottawa
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Canada has two former highly credible, well-informed Canadian ambassadors to China. Instead of silencing David Mulroney and Guy Saint-Jacques, shouldn’t a thoughtful Prime Minister be asking for their advice and leadership in solving the China “problem”?
Regrettably, our government’s leadership on the China file has been woefully lacking.
Cecil Rorabeck, London, Ont.
Sausages, SNC and a DPA
Re A Deal Denied (July 25): No one comes out looking particularly noble in the SNC-Lavalin matter, including Jody Wilson-Raybould. As 19th-century German chancellor Otto von Bismarck is said to have observed, “If you like laws and sausages, you should never watch either one being made.”
A political observer writing in The New York Times paraphrased the observation to mean that “the legislative process, though messy and sometimes unappetizing, can produce healthy, wholesome results.” Had the Conservatives been in power, a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) would almost certainly have been offered. Once the election is over, whoever wins, don’t be surprised if a DPA is granted.
David Powell, Toronto
Eye on space should blink
Re Eyes Of The Earth (letters, July 25): The very fact that “in Hawaii (as in Canada)” – and, I might add, in many other places around the world – Indigenous peoples have had their lands confiscated, and their cultures largely smothered, should answer the question as to whether the Thirty Meter Telescope should be built. There is already a space telescope that renders most others on Earth “have-beens.”
If there really is a need for an earthbound 30-metre scope, let proponents find another location where they are welcome.
Peter A. Lewis-Watts, Barrie, Ont.
Hmm …
Re Smart Diapers: For When It’s Time Me To Start Your Baby On Solids And Surveillance (July 25): Really? This app will, it seems, alert distracted parents when their baby needs a change. I’m no child-care expert, but I’m pretty sure babies are “programmed” to let parents know when they are uncomfortable.
It’s called crying.
Val Bachynsky, Halifax
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