I think, with a little luck, we may be witnessing the high-water mark of the Trump Presidency. His recon patrols have made it to the suburbs of Moscow, the towers of the Kremlin are in sight. But the troops are exhausted, the advance can no longer be sustained and winter is closing in fast. And tomorrow, the Japanese will strike Pearl Harbor and it will be a whole new ball game. It may seem like the end of the beginning, but its actually the beginning of the end. Napoleon has started his long retreat Westward.

2019 may just be the year things turn around. The Dems have a resounding majority in the House, and the Mueller Investigation appears to be winding up, almost every day revealing another weakness on the Right. The White House seems to be crumbling, and the shaky coalition of unscrupulous capitalists and their deluded but willing victims seems to be hesitating, losing its nerve and turning on itself. There are clearly visible and rapidly growing cracks in the Wall. At the risk of over-extending my Siberian metaphors, it looks like the momentum of the Trump movement has faltered. He may yet go on the offensive again in spring, but this time a breakthrough appears unlikely.

It’s still too early to celebrate. The Left could still step on its dick, as it is prone to do in this type of situation. An unexpected crisis, real or imaginary, might be manipulated to the Conservatives’ advantage. Or perhaps, like a wounded beast, the administration could up the ante and do something so malicious and outrageous that it catches an exhausted nation off balance. And of course, our foreign rivals and enemies will no doubt make every possible move at key times and places to sway the outcome more to their liking.

But at least, I think Trump is in trouble now, and I do believe he is more likely to miscalculate and stumble now than his opponents are. The failed government shutdown is all the evidence we need of that. Still, this is the dangerous time. He is becoming increasingly desperate, abd fatigued, and the rest of us are likely to become increasingly complacent.

Still, I haven’t been this cautiously optimistic for the last two years.