"The Madness"

In a week where unhinged demagogue and Russian asset Donald "Rump" Trump has spiraled downward, with the reckless decision on Syria and Afghanistan, the shutdown of the Federal Government over his absurd "manhood" wall, the shuttering of his criminal "charity," and much more. The resignation letter of Secretary of Defense James Mattis has focused attention on Rump's continued undermining of U.S. alliances while kowtowing to our adversaries, Russia in particular. As the Washington Post reported this morning,

“There’s going to be an intervention,” one former senior administration official said speculatively. “Jim Mattis just sent a shot across the bow. He’s the most credible member of the administration by five grades of magnitude. He’s the steady, safe set of hands. And this letter is brutal. He quit because of the madness.” (our emphasis)

The resignation under protest of Mattis may or may not be the "fire alarm in the night" that Rethuglicans finally heed; we're very doubtful it will be. But the unraveling will continue, and we have to brace for and resist the actions of an increasingly cornered and out-of-control Rump in the weeks and months ahead, ensuring that whatever "guardrails" remain will hold.

BONUS:

Memo to GOP senators: What you are doing now will go in your obituaries.

— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) December 21, 2018

BONUS II: David Rothkopf sums up the message Mattis is sending:

"The president is not only outside the mainstream in his thinking, he is out of control. The man who controls the world’s most powerful military and the resources of the world’s richest government, is beyond assistance, beyond redemption, beyond influence other than by our enemies and his greed and narcissism."