Democrats, Republicans and the media who are framing the Trump impeachment in terms of "quid pro quo" misunderstand the term as well as common diplomacy.
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Thanks, Sharyl, for clarifying just what quid pro quo means. If President Trump is quilty of it, so is every other President, Secretary of State etc. I don't remember Obama ever being charged on this same offense. I guess it is another instance of when you don't like a president, you assign blame, etc.
For anyone who hasn't noticed -- one intent of the impeachment farce is to discourage Ukraine from cooperating with the AG Barr's attempt to investigate political corruption. The clear signal is that "Trump is on the rocks; if you cooperate with him, you will find yourself on the losing side." The Democrats are engaged in a very public form of witness intimidation and obstruction of justice.
Foreign policy is all about deals that benefit the partners (Quid Pro Quo), mutual back-scratching if you will. It has never been illegal, never will be. It is how foreign policy is done to paraphrase Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney. Whether a deal is inappropriate (like Obama's nuclear deal with Iran that was never confirmed by the Senate) is a judgment call to be left to the voters and the pundits. Having Ukraine help the U.S. get to the bottom of the origins of efforts to accuse Trump of treason would surely seem to be in our national interest so that such baseless accusations so that such baseless accusations do not diminish the success of future presidents. When a president's policies advance the interests of its citizens - stronger defense, better economy, better health, welfare and domestic tranquility--we all benefit.
Thanks for a competent summation and useful addenda to what I've long understood about the twists and turns of diplomatic dealings. Altogether this podcast is a model combination of diligence and intelligence, crowned with clarity.