Maybe it will all turn out OK. If it does, put me down as promising to applaud.
But my fellow Americans, whatever mix of motives led us to create an Electoral College majority for Donald Trump to become president – and overlook his lack of preparation, his madcap midnight tweeting, his casual lying about issues like “millions” of people casting illegal votes in this election, the purveying of fake news by his national security adviser and his cavalier dismissal of the CIA’s conclusions about Russian hacking of our election – have no doubt about one thing: We as a country have just done something incredibly reckless.
There is actually something “prehistoric” about the Cabinet that Trump is putting together. It is totally dominated by people who have spent their adult lives drilling for, or advocating for, fossil fuels – oil, gas and coal.
Don’t misunderstand me: It is excusable to raise questions about climate change. But it is inexcusable not to sit down with our own government experts at NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for a briefing before you appoint flagrant climate deniers with no scientific background to every senior environmental position.
It is excusable to question if Russia really hacked our election. But it is inexcusable to dismiss the possibility without first getting a briefing from the CIA, some of whose agents risked their lives for that intelligence.