Michael Beschloss, presidential historian, sums it up nicely, in reference to Donald Trump:

“This is not a president. This is a gangster, relishing the use and abuse of power. This is not a leader. This is a criminal, a malignant hustler who’s using the occupation of our White House to feed his ego and run roughshod over the morals and ideals that have inspired the world.”

Let’s add patsy, pushover, bully, and trash talker who scowls a lot and raises his voice and thinks this passes for toughness and resolve.

It’s only March in Year 1. We’ve got three more Marches to go.

Chuck Schumer’s decision to vote for the recent budget CR has created quite the firestorm. A handful of Democrats sided with him, while most others—and many in the public—sound as if they prefer he vacate his post and leave Washington—something about it’s time to take the gloves off and play dirty like Trump and whatever his party is called.

The possible trouble with this is it would seem to play right into Trump’s hand. Playing dirty only causes Trump to break into his reserves of skulduggery, sink lower than anyone thought he could. He’ll see you and raise you. This reminds me of a scene from Community, where Pierce ends up explaining that either way, it ends with an explosion.

People may be concerned that Schumer could be in Trump’s pocket, but the way he explained his decision on PBS Newshour last night made some sense. Maybe Chuck is trying to save his own ass, or maybe he’s playing the long game, as he said last night. But maybe all this kerfuffle has really done is expose the reality of terrible options that having Trump in office always presents. Bannon and Vought and Miller and the rest want only untenable choices on the table, the lesser of two evils.

This is what we get when a complete disaster is voted into office. FOR A SECOND TIME.

The ceasefire between Israel and Gaza was tenuous from the start, perhaps doomed to fail.

Over 300 lives snuffed out. Just like that. In one attack, because Israel is on a mission to eradicate Hamas, no matter if innocents are in the way. Or are there no innocents?

It’s a battle of attrition, fueled by unfathomable hatred and distrust. And who knows, maybe Bibi was heartened by the recent U.S. attack in Yemen.

Hostages? They’re apparently a low priority. Expendable, even. Families’ feelings and demands are practically immaterial and irrelevant, maybe even a nuisance. The existential crisis for Israel takes precedence and likely continues forever, in practical terms.

It’s such an easy fix, right? A convenient cudgel you can hold over everyone’s head? You have more money than most everyone else, along with the power and visibility, and you yourself don’t even have to get your hands dirty—someone else is always doing your work while you float around in your own little bubble, shitting on the First Amendment and looking for the next poor shmuck to threaten with financial ruin.

Litigation is your bread and butter, right Donald? Threaten someone with a long, drawn-out process and financial burdens, and they’ll stay quiet.

That’s all you’ve got, though most days that’s probably enough.

Don’t be deceived.

The attack in Yemen, the claim he can negate or reverse Biden’s pardons, the threat to annex Greenland and make Canada the 51st state, the Gulf of America, and other outlandish things– these are all distractions, smokescreens and lies, efforts to get us to focus on stuff that’s unlikely to or shouldn’t happen, apart from Trump’s penchant for retribution, sabotage, and ham-handedness.

The real action is right here, and especially in Washington– tariffs, the attack on DEI, the dismantling of agencies and departments, the firing of significant segments of the federal workforce, the true weaponization of the Justice Department, the weakening of the EPA and HHS and NOAA, ignoring court decisions, withdrawing from agreements and leaving former allies out in the cold, threatening the free press…

Keep your eyes stateside, folks. This is where the action is, where the newsmakers are. Trump, Musk, and the rest are hoping you won’t notice or care about any of it.

It should be a familiar playbook by now.

“The world will little note nor long remember what we say here…”

Lincoln’s humility was refreshing. He picked up on cues, took the temperature, understood his role and the horrendous and illogical nature of war—especially a war in everyone’s own back yards.

He wasn’t perfect, of course. I suppose your average detractor could pick him apart over one thing or another. But at least he was focused on preserving what the founders had created. He knew what we had here, and didn’t want to lose it. Or blow it up. On purpose.