Please stop trying to find ways to impeach President Trump, pleads Bob Hamilton of the Toronto Star, “As bad as Trump is, the United States could actually be in worse shape in the future if Mike Pence, his seemingly benign vice president, replaces him in the Oval Office. Indeed, Pence could well turn out to be a complete disaster as president for liberal-minded Americans. In sharp contrast to Trump, the former Indiana governor is a serious politician with extremist policy views that liberals seriously don’t like.”

Of course, those of us on the political right might put it a different way, “Go ahead and get rid of Donald Trump if you can. Then you’ll get the president who will really drive you around the bend, and we’ll get more of our conservative agenda passed.”

As controversy swirls around the White House, Pence has seemed to walk a tightrope. On the one hand, he needs to be seen as enthusiastically supporting the president and his agenda. Trump’s loyal core of supporters would accept nothing less. On the other hand, he has to be somewhat above the fray, projecting an image of calm competence in the eye of the political storm engulfing Washington.

“At the height of the controversies enveloping his boss,” USA Today reports, “the vice president is even building his own political war chest, creating a political action committee to support congressional candidates, which will enhance his already-strong popularity among Republicans.

“Though Pence is not at the center of the maelstrom, he hasn’t escaped totally unscathed. His credibility has been questioned in the past few days, especially after President Trump undercut the explanations Pence and other administration officials gave for why former FBI Director James Comey was fired.”

The good news is that Pence is up to the task of staying focused and unconsumed by the crises of the day. Whenever it’s his turn to step up, he will be ready.

Odds are, it will be in 2020 or 2024, not somewhere in the middle of President Trump’s first term. Democrats right now have one of the shallowest political benches in political history. They’d better start developing some talent with presidential qualities or Republicans might actually hang around leadership roles long enough to get something done.


(The News-Sentinel)