All Shook Up: Reince, The Mooch, and More

For the past few days there has been torrential downpours, wind, and to quote a song, Stormy Weather in The Swamp. But somehow another famous tune keeps coming to mind this not-so-fine Saturday morning in Washington, DC and that would be from the late great Elvis who, in 1969 recorded and released:

I’m All Shook Up.

Here at the six-month mark of the fast and furious Trump presidency, there can be no denying that the administration is going through a shake-up or maybe – shake down.

Reince out. Kelly in. Sessions hanging on by his fingernails. Yes sir, things are all shook up in The Swamp. Secretly on Thursday the president’s Chief of Staff Reince Priebus penned his goodbye. Then on Friday POTUS welcomed retired Gen. John Kelly to the post.

Washington whispers for some time are that Priebus has been the source of the West Wing sieve that has been drip, drip, dripping to the press. To be honest, this is difficult to wrap your brain around. What could Mr. Priebus possibly have to gain by leaking White House information to the media? He’s the consummate Swamp insider, ran the Republican National Committee (certainly no friend of the media) and was already at the apex of his career. As well, he’s been a staunch supporter of President Trump and his administration both publicly and privately.

But somehow the eeny, meeny, miny, moe countdown stopped at Reince and as the saying goes – he’s toast.

General Kelly, however, is another story altogether. Perhaps one doesn’t garner the title of General unless you are a tough SOB and that’s exactly Kelly’s main character quality. He’s been called hard-nosed, no nonsense and although he moves over from Homeland Security, Kelly is not the consummate Swamp-dweller.

The West Wing bickering and backbiting will have to stop under Kelly.  He seems the type who would take a hammer to the head of that venomous, fanged snake in the White House, crushing the Viper’s Nest. And if he doesn’t there’s always Anthony Scaramucci standing by.

The newly appointed Director of Communications is intent on scaring the bejesus out of anyone in the West Wing who doesn’t toe the line. So far, they’re scattering like rats in a crack house.  White House aide Michael Short – gone, Sean Spicer, gone, and now Priebus is history. Politico recently reported Scaramucci’s arrival was described by one adviser as “a cannonball from a diving board into a pool.”  Other Swamp insiders say Scaramucci is a Trump “mini-me.”

Very much in keeping with other presidential administrations, the Trump administration has had its share of problems out of the starting gate: leaks, finger-pointing with fangs out is nothing new in the White House.

One thing is for sure, Donald Trump knows a thing or two about being the head honcho and the presidency is the ultimate executive position. He’s not afraid of rearranging a few deck chairs so long as he’s not setting sail on the Titanic.  The man has an agenda and folks who work for him better learn fast that it’s his way or the highway.

Elvis may have sung, I’m All Shook Up, but the sense among many in DC is that Trump, the man, is not. And while it does not seem that the West Wing has settled into a nice game of shuffleboard on the Lido deck, one gets the sense that Trump is still picking who will be on his team. Since the team with the best players almost always wins, the fact that he’s still choosing who will do what in his administration demonstrates that the game is far from over.