Is Trump a Shrewd Pool Shark or a Fool


Maybe you have heard the Dave Dudley song about the pool shark. "He played like a man with a broken arm..." until the wager was large enough. Then he revealed his skill and took all the other guy's money. 

Trump was sort of that pool shark against Hillary. He bumbled around and it was predicted to lose. Many of us were surprised by his win. By all reports, he too was surprised. The recent delay called by a Trump appointed judge is thought by some to be a tide turning in Trump's favor. The link explains why it is not.

For one thing, even if the delay is successful, it keeps Trump's misdeeds in the news longer. It seems inevitable his misdeeds will be in the news through the next election.

The link explains that when the Federal Government notified Trump or his attorney there was reason to believe documents belonging to the Federal Government was in his home there was a simple solution. Trump could have asked for, and by all accounts would have received, immunity from prosecution in exchange for simply returning every one of them to the Feds. The entire matter would have been settled; we would have forgotten it ever happened by now. Why did he not settle it that way? 

The answer is his mental incapacity to put grievances behind him. Back in the 1970's he had complication with the Department of Justice. Then while President his appointees to that agency have not always defended or pledged loyalty to him. These slights are monumental issues to him. He is unable to set the aside and move on. His mental state prevented him from cooperating with the DOJ.  This behavior needlessly put him in corner from which there seems no escape.

The link said one of the easiest routes to conviction by the government is obstruction of justice. Trump and his attorney said all the documents had been returned to the government when they had not. They have both said they knew where other boxes were located. Now, the attorney herself is part of the effort to obstruct justice. To keep herself out of jail she will need to testify against her client. Trump will plead he had no idea of all of this.  

On balance, is Trump a pool shark or fool? Gotta be the latter.  

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