Retired Lieutenant Colonel Allen West (left) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell with President Donald J. Trump and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan respectively (right) (Screenshots)

Back in the mid-80s when I was a young Army Second Lieutenant, I was tasked to give our commanding officer a briefing. Now, these were the days before power point, so this was old school briefing style. I took great pains to prepare my briefing on a series of butcher paper flip charts—of course, the current generation has no clue as to what I am describing. I was proud of the briefing, and I rehearsed it to perfection. I had all the right statistics and points. However, at the end of the briefing, the commanding officer was complimentary, but he said two words that rocked me, and taught me a vital lesson, “so what?”

His point was that all the words, research, and points were great, but what was the final assessment? Later, as a young Captain, I learned how to properly present a decision brief, but I had already been given that lesson. From that day on, I have always lived by the “so what” test.

And I am sure y’all are asking yourselves already, “so what?” about this missive.

Last week, Media Research Center President Brent Bozell wrote a piece entitled “The Can’t-Do Republicans.” Mr. Bozell presented very vital points about how the GOP has been given the House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and now the White House, but so what? That was Mr. Bozell’s point. All of these campaign promises, of repealing Obamacare and restoring fiscal discipline, which includes cutting wasteful government spending and the cronyism of the federal government, were made, and none of that has happened, as Mr. Bozell articulated in his piece.

But for me, there is an even larger “so what?” that evidences the utter disappointment of the Republican majority, one that is witnessing massive resignations. I call it quitting. Let me be very clear, I much rather prefer a GOP majority than having to endure a Nancy Pelosi speakership or a Chuck Schumer as Senate Majority Leader. And I am glad that we do have the GOP in a position of the majority, knowing that without such, we would have no idea as to the depth of the “Deep State.”

But again, I say, “so what?”

We have been inundated with all the reports and evidence of massive corruption, collusion, deceit, and lying over the past year. We all know the names by heart now: Peter Strzok, Lisa Paige, Bruce Ohr (and his undisclosed wife), Andrew McCabe, Rod Rosenstein, James Comey, James Clapper, John Brennan, Susan Rice, Ben Rhodes, Samantha Power, Eric Holder, Loretta Lynch, John Koskinen, Lois Lerner, Cheryl Mills, Huma Abedin, Valerie Jarrett, and Hillary Clinton. And yes, shall I say so, Barack Obama.

Every night on the evening news we hear the same repetitive points, and now I ask again, “so what?”

It is time that the Republican Party gets a killer instinct. It is time they close the deal and not just keep telling us about what they have uncovered. Sadly, many of us have come to expect the legislative failures, such as the Omnibus spending bill, the continued funding of Planned Parenthood, and the lack of full funding for the border security system and the wall. We have almost become accustomed to the pervasive letdowns of a political party that wants the gavel but tells those who elect them that they do not understand how to govern, meaning navigate the swamp.

But what the GOP cannot fail to do is to capitalize on this moment to ensure we have a federal government that represents the highest standards of honor, integrity, and character. The bureaucratic administrative state that we have come to learn of as the “Deep State” must be eliminated. We need to have the American people to once again trust and believe in the people who are supposed to serve them, the public servants of the federal government.

The “so what?” test is one that the Republican Party must pass now that we have endured the countless hearings and media interviews. When is anyone going to be held responsible for these abhorrent actions? Case in point, what will happen to Montana Democrat Senator John Tester for his nefarious and disgusting attacks against White House Physician, Admiral Ronny Jackson?

And what will become of the laundry list of names, individuals previously presented in this piece, of whom we all know have evidenced questionable behavior and appear to have committed felonious crimes of lying, and worse? How much longer will the American taxpayers have to foot the bill on the insanity and insidious “investigation” called the Robert Mueller special prosecution? How very odd that a GOP-controlled committee in the Senate would vote in support of protecting what has become at best a very bad Kabuki theater, at worse, truly a theater of the absurd.

Just as my commanding officer, all those years ago, appreciated my facts, figures, and points, what he really wanted in the end was my analysis, assessments, and decisive action recommendation. This is what we seek from the GOP. We want to know, when will the indictments be issued? When will these aforementioned individuals find themselves heading to jail? We want to know why there is a system of justice for us, but a different one for these people? We want the corruption, cronyism, nepotism, and dishonor of “the swamp” to be ended.

This is the “so what?” test that the GOP faces, and if they are not up to the task, please let the American people know. We will then find the true patriots who fear nothing, especially the progressive socialist left and the DC swamp.

Allen West is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army. Mr. West is a Senior Fellow at the Media Research Center to support its mission to expose and neutralize liberal media bias.

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