We have now gone through two Fridays since the Mid-term elections and there have been no new indictments from Special Counsel Robert Mueller. While it is frustrating for most of us, it does seem to be driving Trump a bit nuts.
It is quite clear in the more-unhinged-than-usual behavior from Trump. As Frank Rich noted in New York Magazine, Trump is starting to panic. He is more secluded and ranting in his bunker and not doing much presidenting, with a nearly empty schedule. From blaming the California wildfires on mismanagement and a lack of raking to making note of the sex life of a deceased Supreme Court Justice with his widow at the Medal of Freedom ceremony, Trump is cracking up and clearly somewhat out of his mind.
There was a time when people ascribed great strategic vision behind Trump’s actions, saying he was playing three-dimensional chess and besting everyone. It turns out, however, that this is not a game of chess, but a bullfight — and Trump is the bull while Mueller is the matador.
No matter how Trump charges, Mueller is ready. Fire AG Jeff Session to install a loyalist to oversee the investigation? Seems Mueller may have already filed a number of sealed indictments. Some of those may be against his family members. It seems to be driving Trump a bit insane, but he may also be wearing down.
At this stage of the fight, Trump is moving slowly with a bunch of bright red, white, and blue banderillas hanging from his neck and shoulders. The question is whether Mueller has determined it is time for the final phase, el tercio de muerte. Trump has already done damage to our democracy, aided by the GOP, but Mueller has so far shown himself to be an artistic bullfighter so hopefully we hear something good soon.
As we await the estocada, the final thrust of the matador’s sword, and hope the Trump administration’s death in the afternoon is near, have a classic Blood and Sand cocktail. Named for the 1922 silent film with Rudolph Valentino as a bullfighter, I pulled the recipe for this classic cocktail from Ted Haigh’s Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails book.
1 oz Scotch (blended is called for here, I used Black Bottle)
1 oz orange juice
.75 oz Cherry Heering
.75 oz sweet vermouth
Shake over ice, strain into a cocktail glass, garnish with a cocktail cherry
Cheers!
Gin & Bitters 