CHUGGING ALONG

The other day President Trump made the point to news folk haunting the White House that Special Counsel Mueller's investigation had proven there was no collusion between the Russians and...well, anybody. In fact, sources have suggested Trump expects a letter from Mueller in the next few weeks informing him the investigation is over and no collusion was found.

While he's waiting for that wonderful letter, Trump would do well to ponder his error in logic: A lack of proof (so far) is not the same thing as proof the item doesn't exist.

If a secret is well hidden—or not energetically searched for—it might remain undiscovered indefinitely. One good reason for that: The more damaging a secret is, the deeper you might expect it to be buried.

And in this case, the Russia Thing is not just the Russia Thing.

Mueller is also looking into obstruction of justice (for firing Comey), the unreported financial dealings of Trump and his Rat Pack, and any other improprieties, no doubt to include folks profiting from the presidency both directly and indirectly—not to mention the inevitable cover-ups.

It's all nothing but a witch hunt dancing 'round a festering kernel of fake news, Trump has stated (more or less). Absolutely nothing to any of it, he says. A full-on hoax foisted on the country by the America-hating Democrats!

Problem is, that's hard to believe, given some of the charges already handed out, and the guilty pleas tendered. I doubt we've seen the end of this stuff, considering guilty pleas usually include cooperating with the investigation, which should provide new leads.

Still, Trump is nothing if not confident he and (most) of his boys will come out of this untouched—or at least not badly mauled. Remember, it's his habit to declare victory after every contest. Winning!

Record gains in the stock market are seen by Trump (and his pal Putin) as entirely the result of the president's economic policies. Winning!

Sure, Roy Moore lost the US Senate race in Alabama (though Moore himself seems not to be convinced), but remember, Trump started out backing a different Republican (who lost the primary), so his first choice for senator didn't lose the special election. That's almost like winning!

And Trump will now finally get to sign a bill out of congress before Christmas. If Americans are against tax cuts for the wealthy nearly two to one, so what? Count it!

A side note: After passage of the bill, congressional Republicans heaped extravagant praise on Trump, saying they couldn't have done it without his magnificent leadership. Makes me wonder if this is a trap. When the middle class gets a good long look at what this bill does to them—and what it does for rich folks like Trump—will they turn on the President, crying for vengeance? Could Republican congress-critters fuel their mid-term campaigns on this rage? I can almost hear their screams: "He lied to us!"

I guess we'll see.

Trump has said this bill will be bad for him, financially. "Believe me," he said (which is his way of sealing the deal). Okay, sir, there's a good way to prove you're not lying your dick off: Release your tax returns!

Let independent auditors have at them, see whether or not Trump will make off like a bandit or slink off to the poor house.

Meanwhile, Trump strides the world like a colossus. I'm sure he thinks his 32% approval rating is a misprint of some sort. Or more fake news.

It may seem his grip on reality is slippery, but it got him this far, didn't it?

In a results-oriented world, it doesn't matter that much what you think—or how you form your thoughts in a genetically-defective brain—we humans just keep chugging along. Declaring victory whether or not events warrant.

Hey, it's a way of life.