There is a narcissist in the Oval Office

   The Presidential "bar of decency" in America has been lowered to a depth no one has ever imagined, and questions are now being asked, "will the presidency ever be the same?"

   Perhaps narcissism is at the core of what we consider this president's real failure.  He demands, he craves, he begs, for attention.  If you demand but one ounce of proof - and there are many to consider -  you need only to watch the video of a group of world leaders waiting to have a photograph taken.  Through the gathering, a man literally pushes his way through two men to get to  the front, straightens his suit jacket, and looks around as if searching for the camera.  That man was our president. 

   And now, he is asking our military leaders to "throw him a parade; a huge parade, with tanks and missiles and lots and lots of our military personnel...all marching up Pennsylvania Avenue.  The only thing that will be on parade will be his ego!

      As to lowering the bar for the Office of the President of the United States, let's look at a few things that, according to his base and others, now seems frighteningly acceptable:

   * There have been more than 2,100 statements made by the president that have been fact-checked as outright lies.  (His supporters just smile and say, "everybody lies.")  Many of those lies, however, are fairly trivial.   They serve no purpose and astonish most listeners as to why he even bothers to make the effort.  

   * It is now being widely reported that he had an affair with a "porn star" while married to the now-first lady, and $130,000 was paid to her in an elaborate scheme by his attorney to evidently keep her quiet.  He and his base seem very silent and, as expected, uncaring.

   * He tweets all day and every day a litany of  irresponsible and often factually incorrect information about those he has placed on his "enemy list."  They are members of his own party, the opposition party, congressional members on both sides of the aisle, and - worst of all - world leaders.

   * His hatred for our media is well documented.  He refers to them as "fake news" and "the most dishonest human beings in the country."  He has spent many years of being covered in the press for his years of cheating contractors and sub-contractors who have tried to sue him for lost wages, etc.   Because of his checkered past in business dealings, he was well situated to wage war with the "damnable fake news" when he entered the Oval Office.

   * Some on his White House staff have often leaked information showing he has no willingness to read briefing papers, policy news, or bills to be proposed and voted on.  His own belief is that he is a "stable genius" and "can handle it all, without help."

   It is impossible to over-exaggerate the foibles of this man.  He is a "one-in-a-billion" kind of man who we have made the terrible mistake of handing him the keys to the Oval Office. 

   Just to add a finer point to the problem, there is a large group of congressional members of his own party who are being the perfect enablers and, as expected, will do so until it is no longer beneficial to themselves or their Party. 

   And if there is a question in your mind about whether the enablers are thinking about our best interest, the answer would have to be...

   Surely, you jest!