The term “shadow government” is not a construct of critics; it’s actually the term the professional bureaucrats within the 7th floor of the Washington DC based Department of State gave to themselves.
The career political operatives who reign within the State Department openly view themselves as a distinctly separate state governing authority, with no attachment to the policies or objectives of the United States presidency or any mere elected official therein.

For years this group has considered themselves “the untouchables”.
They live a life of high financed indulgence including: massive expense accounts, chartered airline travel, swanky cocktail parties, expense chauffeurs to take their kids to private school, seasonally designed home decor – appointed by only the very best interior designers, personal security to keep the commoners away, tickets to the best venues and reserved seating at elite DC restaurants.
With first rights to the budget expenditures, the 7th floor group finds no indulgence too extravagant for their intellectual elitism.  They demand nothing but the finest because they are the most worthy of the DC professionally privileged – who are more equal than others; and after all, their jobs require them to host and visit like-minded diplomats, and celebrities with exclusive tastes from around the world.
Today, this elite crew collectively choked on their crust-less triangle sandwiches:
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Epic subtlety not withstanding, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito delivers a  presidential commission to EPA head Scott Pruitt.
During the swearing in ceremony, Justice Alito outlines the importance of the oath of office and the constitutional responsibility carried out by an affirmation of duty before God and Country.
Against the backdrop of current headlines amid our Republican form of Government, the Alito ‘ping’ resonates with a contextual -and judicial- clarity of purpose.

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Brilliantly done Justice Alito.
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This is so cool.  In the raw footage feeds of President Trump touring the Boeing manufacturing plant the president is actually engaged in discussion of the structural component of the aircraft itself.
Usually these are photo-ops and tours of optical value for politicians; where you see the corporate face (CEO) walking around discussing the constructs at a high level, blah, blah, blah.  However, with the first ever business person elected to the office of The President, President Trump is actually engaged in peer-to-peer, CEO to CEO, conversations discussing the building dynamics of the newest Boeing aircraft and getting into the details of the build.

You can hear President Trump discuss the composition of the new framing material as an aspect to the size of the larger windows now possible in the aircraft design.  It’s a peek into the stunning shift of interaction between businesses executives, industrial giants and the Presidency of the United States.   Trump asking question after question about the build itself; every aspect from material to sourcing, supply chain, linear costs etc. [No wonder he can negotiate lower costs on contracts.]
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Millions of protesting sand smelts held up little sand smelt signs and chanted in little sand smelt voices: “hey, hey, ho, ho, he’s no Richard Windsor bro“, as they defiantly march toward safer hospice in Mexico…
Yes, today the Senate finally confirmed Scott Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency; a rogue agency completely out of sync with any semblance of normal environmental protection.  Between bites of their sustainable algae cakes, drum circle activists throw themselves into apoplectic fits….

The vote was 52-46.   Senators Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), and Joe Manchin (D-WV) voted for Pruitt.  Republican Susan Collins of Maine voted against him.
The Senate now takes a week off allowing professional activists to regroup before returning on February 27th to vote on:  • Commerce nominee Wilbur Ross, • Interior nominee Ryan Zinke, • Housing and Urban Development nominee Dr. Ben Carson, and • Energy nominee Rick Perry.
President Trump will be going into March without a full cabinet.

President Trump delivers the weekly address from the White House, Friday February 17th, 2017:

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President Donald Trump arrived in North Carleston South Carolina to  “talk jobs” during his visit to a Boeing plant.   The plant workers recently voted against unionization.
The president delivered his remarks Friday afternoon as Boeing revealsed its new Dreamliner aircraft, Boeing’s largest 787 model.

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In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the Donald Trump Administration and Presidency.

This thread will refresh daily and appear above the Open Discussion Thread.

President Trump Twitter @POTUS / Vice President Pence Twitter @VP

Sean Spicer Twitter @PressSec

Jay Sekulow outlines the case [Video Here] that President Obama set-up a plan for the intelligence community to target President Trump.

Specifically through the use of a lame-duck executive order, President Obama authorized multiple intelligence agencies to have access to Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) including phone call intercepts.

(Via ACLJ) […]  First, as the New York Times reported earlier this week, in its final days, the Obama Administration expanded the power of the National Security Agency (NSA) to share globally intercepted personal communication with the government’s 16 other intelligence agencies before applying any privacy protections.

The new rules were issued under section 2.3 of Executive Order 12333 after approval by two Obama Administration officials: Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Director of National Intelligence Director, James Clapper.

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Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †

After passing confirmation, representative Mick Mulvaney was sworn in tonight as Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
Vice-President Mike Pence coordinated Director Mulvaney’s commission ceremony.

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As most CTH readers are aware, ‘cantalopes‘ was the one cabinet selection that gives us the greatest GOPe trepidation. Watching the ceremonial process itself, the prior concerns are not assuaged.  Mulvaney is now, essentially, the CFO of the Trump White House.
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