One of the main irritants of the three explanatory days given to each side in the impeachment trial was the stultifying predictability.
The air hung thick with coordination on all sides as it became obvious that Democrat Senators would toss up softball questions designed to give House Managers additional bursts of their familiar song, while Republican Senators nudged the president's attorneys to reach for their best index cards in reply.
The result was another day that achieved essentially nothing on the Senate floor.
As the week winds down, the witness vote is the only hiccup of suspense that lies ahead. I could probably write the questions sure to issue from both sides Thursday, a final day of presentation that will clear the decks for the skirmish that will make the most news headed into the weekend.
How many Republicans will stand against the White House wish for witnesses? Will Mitch McConnell assemble a package featuring poison pills, requiring Democrats to vote to invite Hunter Biden, Adam Schiff and his buddy the Whistleblower in order to secure a Bolton subpoena? Might that chase some Democrats away from the witness vote, especially the ones running for President, who would love to bolt for New Hampshire next week after the Iowa vote Monday which will show them the effects of their absence?
Bolton's book will not be weaponized; his testimony, if it ever happens, will contain no bombshells; if we do have Battle of the Witnesses, that will open the door for weeks of media narratives painting it in the worst possible light for Trump, but may also lay the groundwork for witness testimony that no Democrat ever wanted to see.
Thursday brings another wheel-spinning day of question time, and another day where the most significant developments will be hammered out behind the scenes.
https://townhall.com/columnists/markdavis/2020/01/30/impeachment-diary-day-8--question-time-is-a-bust-the-real-action-was-outside-the-chamber-n2560367
The air hung thick with coordination on all sides as it became obvious that Democrat Senators would toss up softball questions designed to give House Managers additional bursts of their familiar song, while Republican Senators nudged the president's attorneys to reach for their best index cards in reply.
The result was another day that achieved essentially nothing on the Senate floor.
As the week winds down, the witness vote is the only hiccup of suspense that lies ahead. I could probably write the questions sure to issue from both sides Thursday, a final day of presentation that will clear the decks for the skirmish that will make the most news headed into the weekend.
How many Republicans will stand against the White House wish for witnesses? Will Mitch McConnell assemble a package featuring poison pills, requiring Democrats to vote to invite Hunter Biden, Adam Schiff and his buddy the Whistleblower in order to secure a Bolton subpoena? Might that chase some Democrats away from the witness vote, especially the ones running for President, who would love to bolt for New Hampshire next week after the Iowa vote Monday which will show them the effects of their absence?
Bolton's book will not be weaponized; his testimony, if it ever happens, will contain no bombshells; if we do have Battle of the Witnesses, that will open the door for weeks of media narratives painting it in the worst possible light for Trump, but may also lay the groundwork for witness testimony that no Democrat ever wanted to see.
Thursday brings another wheel-spinning day of question time, and another day where the most significant developments will be hammered out behind the scenes.
https://townhall.com/columnists/markdavis/2020/01/30/impeachment-diary-day-8--question-time-is-a-bust-the-real-action-was-outside-the-chamber-n2560367
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