When Trump Tries to Show Leadership It’s Almost Worse

Michael Tomasky: “I had a slightly different reaction watching Donald Trump’s address last night than everyone else. I didn’t think it was a complete disaster. I guess my expectations have been lowered over the years such that the mere act of him successfully reading more than five consecutive sentences off the TelePrompTer seems a triumph worthy of some combination of Churchill and Olivier. And, I thought: Well, he’s actually trying.”

“Then, after it was over, it struck me that that—the fact that he was in fact trying—was exactly the problem. He was trying, and that was the best he could do. This wasn’t the usual flatulent bluster aimed squarely at the fellas at the stupid end of the bar at Moe’s. He didn’t blame Cryin’ Chuck or Nervous Nancy or Christopher Steele or the deep state, although he’s still Trump and he couldn’t help himself, he had to call it a ‘foreign virus.’ But this was his attempt at serious leadership.”

“And all he did was raise more questions than he answered and, of course, pepper in a few stupid lies and smears.”