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Mere days after the Republican senate acquitted trump in his impeachment trial, and following on the heels of the dismissal of Col. Alexander Vindman and his brother, Evgeny Vindman,  from their jobs at the National Security Council, they received yet another powerful indicator of how the acquittal has ‘modified’ his behavior going forward when, in spite of advice from Senators Susan Collins, Thom Tillis, Martha McSally and Ron Johnson, to do so, the president fired Gordon Sondland from his post as ambassador to the European Union. Citing concerns it would look bad, the senators, as reported in the New York Times on February 8, claimed dismissing him was an unnecessary step since the ambassador was thinking about departing anyway. When told by State Department officials on Friday that he had to resign that day, Sondland demurred, claiming he was unwilling to be included in a witness purge and instead stating if they wanted him gone, they would have to fire him; the president then obliged.

Thinking back to the president’s bland and tepid reaction to the Khashoggi murder and dismemberment, senators should have realized at the time that his response was an early indicator of his true intentions.

As if that weren’t enough, the man stared at the sun during the last eclipse. Who does that???

Collins and Company would be well advised to snap out of whatever reverie they’re in that enables them to continue in their dismissal of the real danger to our way of life posed by the actions of this lawless and intemperate president.

Tim Konrad