It's Jeff Sessions' time to leave the Justice Department and ride for glory
Sessions would run as an Alabama Republican and, in doing so give the voters of Alabama a real choice.
Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide. This is Jeff Sessions’ moment.
Just when Republicans thought things were really bad in Alabama, things got worse. The Senate race grew more desperate for Republicans when another woman, the ninth, accused Senate candidate Roy Moore of sexual impropriety. A recent poll put Democratic candidate Doug Jones ahead of Moore, 52 to 42 percent.
But as President Ronald Reagan used to say, when one door closes, another one generally opens. (To which one wit replied, okay, but it can be pretty dark in the hallway while you wait.)
The door that has opened? Attorney General Jeff Sessions, former Republican senator from Alabama, testified last week that he now remembers a meeting with a Trump campaign advisor at which the advisor spoke about contacts with Russians. Sessions had previously testified that he knew of no such contacts. Republicans can expect the left-wing press to let loose all hell.
How can Sessions’ admission be good news? It’s good news because now President Trump can more forcefully urge Sessions to run for his former seat, which Sessions has said he does not want to do. Trump can say, cordially, but sternly, and with less reproach than before from conservatives: “Really, Jeff. With this revelation, indicating your memory lapse, your effectiveness as attorney general will be significantly reduced. At the same time, however, you have a great opportunity to help the country. Resign your post here, talk Roy Moore out of running, and then run a write-in campaign in Alabama. You can probably win.”
Then, Trump can say, (softly so the NSA folks won’t be able to hear the conversation and pass it on to their favorite newspaper buddies), “After you win, you can resign, and the governor [a Republican] can appoint a successor. You don’t have to serve if you don’t want to.”
Cynical? Not a bit. The goo-goos won’t like it. But after a year of moaning and groaning, their complaints have no more gravitas than the sound of the surf on the sand or the rustle of autumn leaves.
The justification for the arrangement is this: The basic question for Alabama voters is whether they want to be represented by a Republican or a Democrat. Before the reports of Moore’s behavior of 38 years ago surfaced, he was expected to win, indicating that the voters want to send a Republican to the Senate. On a specific hot issue like abortion, polls indicate 57 percent of Alabamans oppose it, only 43 percent approve of it.
But how many voters have decided to reject Moore and either not vote at all or vote for Doug Jones, the Democratic candidate? Jones may be a very decent and capable man, but he will not vote the “Alabama” way on specific issues, and he would reduce the Republicans’ power in the Senate, with serious consequences for legislation during the next year. That is probably not what a majority of the voters of Alabama want.
Sessions would run as an Alabama Republican and, in doing so give the voters of Alabama a real choice as to the type of government they want in Washington. That is a noble endeavor.
Sessions has not distinguished himself as attorney general. Part of his problem stems from his recusing himself from any investigation involving Russian meddling in the campaign. He appears to interpret that recusal broadly, and has been reluctant to investigate the Clintons — though just recently, finally, the Justice Department has said it is looking into the possibility of appointing a special counsel (only one?) to investigate them.
In addition, Sessions’ ineptness at a recent congressional hearing created a mini (one-day) scandal: Asked if the White House had contacted the Justice Department with respect to the AT&T–Time Warner merger, he declined to state that it had not. It’s a hot issue because a Time Warner asset, “fake news” CNN, is a big foe of Trump’s. Sessions’ behavior is puzzling because his briefing papers were said to have anticipated the question and recommended answering simply “no.”
That fumble, added to his recent recollection of another meeting during the presidential campaign not previously disclosed, is likely to make Republicans nervous and diminish his reputation among the general public, never mind the fever swamps of the Left. What Jeff Sessions needs is a chance for greatness.
And, suddenly, as she does sometimes, resplendent Fortune appears, bathed in light, favoring the beleaguered attorney general. She offers him a chance for glory: to mount a white steed, pick up the fallen banner, and ride to the rescue of the Republican Party — and the Republic. What a lucky break!
Saddle up and ride, Jeff! Ride for the Republic!