Taking Point

Anyone who has been in the Infantry or the Marines knows what it means to take point. It means to take the lead on an operation. Go out ahead of the rest of the troops. Take the biggest chances and protect your buddies. 

You would want the most savvy guy taking point. A guy that can find paths that almost don't exist. A man that can make his way soundlessly through woods or jungle and spot the enemy or booby traps before they can do harm. Someone who knows how to use his weapons to silence the enemy before they have a chance.

It strikes me that Donald Trump, whether by chance or by choice, is taking point for the Republicans. Of course, it is a little different in politics than it is in the military. Trump is out there making a lot of noise. He's attracting heavy fire from both the Democrats and the press. Due to his magic armor, made of hundred dollar bills, he walks on unscathed. Like a hero in a computer game he seems to gain power and stature with every round that bounces off him.

He's in a long game. Will he continue to gain strength and vanquish his opposition? Or will he, as often happens with computer heroes start to cede power and fade? Will the cost of a campaign start to leave holes in his armor? Do his enemies, and they are legion, have a secret weapon that he cannot repel? 

Will a dragon appear from a cave in the guise of a dark horse candidate and woo the princes and princesses of the electorate away from Sir Donald? Taking point is fraught with danger. Does he have minions that can seal the Wicked Witch of Chappaqua in her castle counting her millions?

And, as in every game, there are evil wizards out there. They arrive at various TV channels on Sundays in their guise as talking heads. There they spin their magic spells, casting lightning bolts at their enemies and cones of spun sugar at those they adore. And all for a buck.

The game will play out. Casualties will lay on the wayside bleeding and battered. There can be only one victor in any race. But in this game, the ultimate winner or loser will be the United States of America. May God bless and save her.