Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a Ukraine expert on the National Security Council, ended his opening statement Tuesday with an emotional address to his father, promising him that he’ll be “fine” despite giving testimony that is damaging to the President.
I take it he’s not a regular Fox viewer.
Vindman’s Dad comment was a touching moment. He’s coming off as nervous and quite human, just like most of us would in that situation.
No, no – I just got some dust in my eye, that’s all.
That a decorated soldier would have to reassure his father that he will be safe after testifying to the truth speaks volumes about the corruption of Trump and the Republicans. This should be the “have you no shame” moment of the hearings, but probably won’t be. I feel like crying for my country.
In a number of countries (too many to list here) Vindman’s life, as he knew it, would be over.
In all the films I have ever seen of Americans dealing with out-of-control situations (let alone govenments) when abroad, ALL have happily either gone back to the safety and security of the United States or fantasized about it when they lay dying.
This is what Trump has taken from us.
Trump is weakening, but Nunes, Jordan and McConnell, as evil as they are, do not appear to me to be delusional. There is some calculation on their part that Trump can come out of this and Remain in Power.
There will come a point in time when we know that they have thrown in the towel. How fast that comes will largely depend on the numbskulls who still poll for Trump.
Because if 70% of us want Impeachment AND Removal, Trump is Toast.
We Americans hold the future in our collective hands.
Lt. Col. Vindman came to the hearing carrying a great big baseball bat with the words “The Smack” burned into it with a blowtorch fueled by the Kerosene of Liberty.
Lt. Col. Vindman then clunked it on the witness table while eyeing Collins, the Cowmaster, Stefanik and Gym. Unlike them, he has no fear
His dad made it out of an ash tree struck by lightning using tools reportedly once owned by Paul Bunyan before his growth spurt.
All it takes is ONE brave man.
So who else thinks Trump has asked Secretary of the Army Murphy to court martial Vindman?
No doubt the Republicans vilifying Vindman will admit to being anti-Semites just like they accused the Democrats who wanted Stephen Miller fired because he was Jewish.
One reason why Trump so greatly admires autocrats such as Putin and Kim is that he is envious of their ability to absolutely quash all forms of criticism from the press, the public, and most certainly from people within the federal government.
That ability of autocrats to quash all forms of criticism and descent is what Trump’s NPD needs. The scarier part is to to keep that control once you’ve done away with one’s critics is that you have to keep quashing someone every once in awhile to keep people in line.
Republicans valorize that miserable double-traitor Ollie North (he betrayed us to Iran and Russia) and demonize an actual military hero who is exposing treason.
Sad!
Proving once again, immigration is a strength of our country not a weakness.
Vindman has finally settled down, and is coming off as more confident now.
I think Nunes pissed him off with that fishing expedition to name the WB.
(correcting Nunes with his title “Lt Col” not “Mr” might have been a tell)
Someone tell me again why so many enlisted personnel vote Republican.
Vindman has spent most of his life in the US and his knowledge of Soviet life is a bad childhood memory. His dad experienced the whole thing. Understand that Jews in the Ukraine have been getting the worst of both Russian and Ukrainian anti-Semitism. If you are his dad you tend to be nervous that the guys in the green uniforms (that’s how the KGB used to dress), and until Ukraine got its independence the KGB was the Soviet bloc muscle in that part of the world. Note that Crimea is about 90% Russian and parts of the eastern Ukraine are almost 50% (and the languages aren’t all that far apart) – I think Crimea was always like that; the eastern part of the country was populated by Russia – they are all pro-Russia, which is why Russia was able to use ethnic Russian Ukranians to do their dirty work. Aside: my wife had to go on business there (before all of the instability, riots, and Russian invasions); she was in the Eastern part of the country, and the first day at the site she walked into a conference room. Unlike what you’d see in suburban middle America, there was a bust of Stalin to greet her. When she approached ol’ Yusef, the locals commented that “those were the good ol’ days.” And then presented her with a large spread of caviar. My wife refuses to eat raw seafood. In Asia, they think it’s hilarious and when they stop laughing they go find vegan editions of the local cuisine. In the Ukraine this tends to piss off the local ethnic Russians.
Millions of Trump supporters are outraged that Vindman was even in a position to tell his father he’d be ok. To them, he should already have been hanged as a traitor.
During his impeachment trial 45 reads a statement addressing his dead father*:
“Dad, I just want you to know that a lifetime of belittling me is a character that I have passed on to a new generation. Your decision to give me a million dollars, made from your hard work, bribery, and ruthless chicanery has made me the man I am today. I am here to tell my millionth lie, and I know you’d be proud.”
Get our your handkerchief irasdad, it’s ok.
Yeah, I got moisture from the eyes. Darn seasonal allergies.
Vindman looks so young - but he is 44 and was promoted to Lt. Col in 2015. I think my dad was promoted to Lt. Col. when he was ca. 40 - and of course to me he seemed ancient. But now everyone under 60 looks like a kid to me…