It appears the Devin Nunes (R-CA) memo concerning alleged partisan irregularities in the intelligence community will be released today, with the blessing of the President of the United States. Whether this document is legitimate, relevant or even true doesn’t really matter. Its purpose is to set the foundation for the dismantling of the so-called “Russia Investigation” by either firing Mr Mueller or otherwise discrediting the investigations directed against the activities of the Trump Whitehouse.

I’m not going to comment on the validity of this document. For starters, I haven’t even read it, and once it is released, its contents will be so partisan that whether it is true or not will depend more on the reader than on the material discussed within it.

How will the release of the Nunes Memorandum affect the investigations? It could go either way, it all depends on the outcome of the battle which will certainly arise between those who believe it and those who don’t, and on whether or not the public believes it, or takes it seriously. Then again, one can’t blame the public for ignoring it altogether, for dismissing it as just more evidence of the dysfunction of their government. Besides, the Superbowl is right around the corner.

But whatever happens, the damage done will be final, and perhaps fatal, for our Republic. If Trump survives, his enemies will see his administration as based on lies and traitors, and instituted solely for the benefit of a ruthless oligarchy aided by a violent, racist and hateful mob of ignorant, terrified and brainwashed Deplorables.

And if Trump or his party suffers a crippling defeat, either by removal of the President from office or a crushing rout at the midterm elections, it will provide his followers with all the evidence they need to erect an all-encompassing conspiracy theory of a vast Liberal Elitist plot determined to steal the country and give it away to the Communists, the minorities, and the illegal aliens.

No matter who wins the Memo Wars, the nation will emerge from this with a substantial portion of its population convinced its government is totally irrelevant and dysfunctional, and half the rest convinced it is totally illegitimate. Sort of like the Weimar Republic, or post-Czarist Russia. There will be a vacuum and we all know how nature feels about vacuums

We’re fucked.