Kneecapped

In certain European cultures, kneecapping was a form of retribution punishment. A man's enemies would severely beat his legs to shatter his knees, so that he was crippled for life but not killed. In more modern eras, beatings were replaced with one or two pistol shots to each knee.

Former FBI Director James Comey's testimony yesterday before the Senate Intelligence Committee kneecapped the Trump presidency. Even if Trump remains in power through 2020, his administration has been weakened permanently, and Republicans in Congress will likely more openly drift away from him. And in Washington, a weakened presidency is all but frozen in paralysis.

In many ways, that might be best for those of us who oppose Donald Trump. The less damage he can do, the better.
Washington is all about political capital, and the Russian scandal plus many other controversies had already depleted the Trump administration's political balance sheet. And now Comey has brought the balance down even further.

Yesterday was only the first act of this drama. It seems all but certain that some members of Trump's current or former administration and/or his campaign will be indicted and face criminal prosecution. Prosecution of both Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort seems all but a foregone conclusion, as well as possibly others, particularly Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law.

We saw some fireworks yesterday. I think we'll see a lot more soon. But this long drama is just beginning. Stay tuned.