Trump was never going to come to an agreement with Zelensky. It was an argument just for show -- a disgusting show befitting a bullying mob boss. It accomplished what he wanted: to have an excuse to side with Putin and make it palatable to Republicans in Congress. Look at how many did a 180 when Zelensky left: from a welcome to a cold shoulder. Trump knows how to manipulate his cowed "loyalists." He's with Putin all the way.
A Political Scientist colleague of mine commented 2-3 years ago (mid-Biden) that what we were then witnessing was the failure of the American experiment in "democracy". Franklin said, when asked what governance we had chosen, "a Republic, if you can keep it". Democracy, is like marriage: it's inherently unstable, and prone to failure unless it is continuously worked on. To succeed it requires good faith cooperative involvement and 'tinkering' by (most of) the participants to keep it fresh and v…
