Donald Trump and the Eclipsing of the Presidency

Although I had better things to observe, like that amazing solar eclipse, I thought I'd better watch Donald Trump's address to the nation, in case he declared war on North Korea.

And eclipsed the earth permanently.

But as it turned out, all he did was declare a little more war on Afghanistan. 

Which will have little impact on that country, or on the Great War on Terror.

But on the bright side, it did cause some in his rabid base to declare war on him.



For over at Breitbart, Steve Bannon and his alt-right army were definitely not impressed.

President Trump’s “America First” base was the biggest loser of Trump’s speech on Afghanistan Monday night, and many quickly expressed their disappointment at the business-as-usual address from the president who had once promised to limit American intervention abroad and focus on nation-building at home.

Reminding Trump of what he had once said...



Blaming the decision on Bannon's enemies General McMaster and Jared Kushner,



And declaring that Trump was now bobbing up and down in The Swamp he had once promised to drain...



Which of course is music to my ears, not only because it could mark the beginning of the eclipse of the Trump presidency.

But also because it was the least crazy thing Trump has done for a long time.

Although this was deeply disturbing...



One can only wonder whether staring directly at the sun might have damaged his sight as the Guardian suggests it might. 

And it is so crazy, it's yet another good excuse to talk about Trump's mental health. 


How unstable and divorced from reality is President Trump? We’ve reached the point where the nation has the right and the need to know.

Anyone can have a bad day. But according to many published reports, Trump often erupts into rage — especially when he sees something he doesn’t like on the cable news shows he is said to watch compulsively.

Because those who know him well suggest his mind is deteriorating. 

I have spoken with people who have known Trump for decades and who say he has changed. He exhibits less self-awareness, these longtime acquaintances say, and less capacity for sustained focus.

Rapidly.

And the generals around him clearly need to do something before it's too late...



I am not professionally qualified to assess the president’s mental health; psychiatrists and psychologists who have the proper credentials and experience to do so are silenced by ethical rules. 

The stakes are so high, however, that the officials who work alongside Trump and observe him closely bear a tremendous responsibility. There is a huge difference between sounding as unhinged as North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and actually being that unstable.

For of course the danger is that in order to try to win back his base, he may say or do something even crazier.

His presidency may be heading for totality, but the man is a maniac.

Don't let him destroy our planet.

Don't let him ruin our lives...