The Director of National Intelligence is a crucial job which calls for a steady hand who can analyze the threats to our national security and fairly and objectively advise the President and other officials regarding those threats and the best response to them.   Over the weekend steady Dan Coats was summarily dismissed. In fact it’s something a miracle that he hung as long as he did after repeatedly contradicted Trumph – the Insult Comic President on the threats posed by Russia to our elections and the threats emanating from North Korea and Saudi Arabia.   That a truth teller could survive so long in this Reality TV Show Joke of a Presidency is truly remarkable.  But something finally broke and Trumph ousted Coats.

So who does Trumph pick?  Rep. John Ratcliffe of Texas 4th Congressional District.  Ratcliffe is a former small town Texas mayor and U.S. Attorney who apparently was bucking for Attorney General only to be out-sycophanted by Bill Barr.  So Ratcliffe upped his game during Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s testimony last week.  Ratcliffe has been a skeptic of the Mueller investigation into Russian election interference, but he made the headlines after his aggressive questioning of Mueller. Ratcliffe accused Mueller of denying Trump due process, stating that the president was not above the law “but he damn sure shouldn’t be below the law.” Good enough for Trumph to reward Ratcliffe this time despite his apparent complete lack of national intelligence experience.  To be fair, Ratcliffe was appointed to be Chief of Anti-Terrorism and National Security for the Department of Justices in that hotbed of international intrigue and espionage that is the Eastern District of Texas.

As directed by statute, “under ordinary circumstances, it is desirable” that either the director or the principal deputy director of National Intelligence be an active-duty commissioned officer in the armed forces or have training or experience in military intelligence activities and requirements.  See 50 U.S.C. § 403-3a.  Red goes back to the principals for any Trump appointment.  Qualification No. 1 – are you now and will you be in the future a complete and total toady for Trumph?  If yes, ask no more.