that not only can't shoot straight but don't seem clear on which end of the gun they're supposed to be holding. They're elevated by accident of history far, far above their levels of competence and, yes, self-backed into a corner, mainly by their own inability to discipline their corruption, or even to stop plotting crimes by email.

As for Cohen, my husband and I were talking just the other day about how extremely UNcommon political and very high level business murder is -- outside movies and novels anyway. He'd only need one, of course.

Trump is proven cruel and very willing to hurt others, but so far he's been far more notable for both fear of using his power and for lack of understanding of what it is and how he can use it. He admires murderous dictators, but it's at most a vicarious kinship. He's badly handicapped by pathological ignorance and lack of understanding of his world, and also by cowardice. He's fascinated by but afraid of great military power. He always backs down from confrontations that would require matching guts, competence, and strength of will against others.

He looks to others he's gathered to him, who all share his faults to significant degree, to provide the courage and backbone he lacks, and now to ruthlessly smash a path through our institutions to safety and increased power, but of course they fail even though that's their only path as well. So far.

We'll see. But I think in the end he and his vicious gang of criminal fools will be completely outmatched by those who've decided he must leave. The big unknowns that scare me are what Russia and other foreign states might do to help the Republicans keep power, and perhaps him.

the article states, and I would add: the WORLD is indeed not safe while he is untethered. From the article: "Until people understand that this situation is not normal and that Donald Trump, the president of the United States, is not manageable or treatable unless he's quarantined or marginalized to make him not dangerous, there is really nothing to be done."

he'll probably "win" a second term.

Something is up in all of this. We're seeing a broad-based institutional defense of trump and the only explanation I can think of is; they're all as compromised as trump.

and containing him to the best of their abilities. The Republicans have been deeply weakened since the midterms. We're in a collective state of "hold your breath" until 2020. Then the building resistance will explode. Dozens of Republican Senators are likely to step down due to a lousy choice between losing the next election or winning, but having no power with a Democratic House.

and systemic flaws such as a president's unchecked and unfettered pardon power have now been exposed and need to be remedied in the future.

We may have a hierarchical democratic system, but in addition to the checks and balances built into that very system, we also have the DNA of that democracy built into most of the citizens and spread throughout courts, laws and non-profit foundations. Obviously 30% of the citizens, Trump's base, never got the lesson in school (or they did but being in his cult induced a short circuit). But the DNA is now activated in the other 70% and a genuine resistance has flared up like antibodies in the immune system.

Another analogy: when a tree is bent to the breaking point by a strong wind, the cells regrow stronger than ever. It can then withstand even greater threats. Nixon strengthened America in many ways, giving rise to progressive legislation and a narrative about dysfunctional presidencies. The Great Depression produced the New Deal.

With both Nixon and the first New Deal in our institutional wisdom, Trump may easily induce a Green New Deal. I'm not gonna wait around for that to happen though. My immune system is already triggered and I put a handmade sign on my car that stretches across the entire bumper:

– A Green Regenerative America –
— G R E E N • N E W • D E A L —
Supercharge Solar Economy for All!

I like your analogy, and I like your bumper sign!

Like the "Killer T cells" and other defenders that protect our physical bodies--fascinating-- and a really good analogy for the healing that can happen in our country

Look for

"Trump and the collapsing Republican Party are triggering a massive political immune system"

It's here:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211917023

who every time you see Cohen on tv leaving a court room or something, you cringe wondering if someone will appear from the crowd and gun him down?

Dirty, pollutes everything he touches, and will outlive us all.

...Impeachable!