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  • If Donald Trump had always dreamed of a grand military send off, it was probably not one that looked like this in the place of parade.

  • There is patrol in place of the band barricade.

  • The weapons are on display, but not for a 21 gun salute on the red carpet are those days are perhaps done?

  • Theus.

  • Assault on the capital becomes mawr extraordinary.

  • The further away from it we get.

  • We don't know why so little was done to prevent the rioting or just who knew about the plans in advance.

  • We don't know if individuals within Congress were working to help those on the outside House.

  • Speaker Pelosi wants nothing ruled out if, in fact, it is found that members of Congress or accomplices to this insurrection if they aided and embedded the crime, there may have to be actions taken beyond the Congress.

  • But whilst investigations rumble, Washington is taking no chances.

  • This is the parade route and are now eerily deserted city.

  • This time round, there won't be big crowds, but we can expect up to 25,000 National Guard troops to put that in context three times the number that we saw for that inauguration of Barack Obama in 2000 and nine, when the country itself was deemed to be on particularly high alert.

  • But perhaps the numbers speak to something more profound.

  • This week is meant to be a celebration of democracy, a performance of the peaceful transfer of power On this time around, America feels afraid.

  • I think America got very lucky.

  • I don't think you could tell a story about how the institutions worked.

  • I mean, that's the story that Americans like to tell themselves, that we have these wonderful institutions.

  • We have the checks and balances.

  • Therefore, Mr Trump was never gonna be a problem.

  • I heard a lot of that in 2016, 2000 and 17.

  • But what we've seen is that institutions are only as good as the people who support them.

  • We've also seen that a very important institution Congress hasn't been working the way that it's supposed to work.

  • Congress is supposed to balance the president.

  • It's supposed to tell a different story than the president.

  • But when the president told a big lie, namely that he won the presidential election, too much of Congress went along with him.

  • Those critical choices for Congress begin again next week.

  • Yes, after the sweeping departure of one president on the ceremonial swearing in of another, it's the newly Democrat led Senate that will have to decide whether to convict a leader that's already gone.

  • The phrase they're using here is you can walk and chew gum at the same time, meaning you can get on with the business of impeachment in the morning on Dove Senate confirmation hearings in the afternoon.

  • But as well as taking much longer, it also arguably eats into the headspace of a president who came to power comes to power promising unity.

  • This president must be impeached and convicted.

  • Some Democrats believe it's better to wait 100 days.

  • Give the new president time.

  • Former Republican Rick Wilson disagrees.

  • It is an astounding, astounding moment of risk if this country doesn't step up.

  • And frankly, it's an existential moment for the Republican Party.

  • If they don't get on board with the fact that that they can make a choice during this impeachment process, they can either be members of the Trump Personality cult and protect the Dear Leader or they could be Americans.

  • This is a choice between America or Trump.

  • It is a fundamental choice between two competing futures.

  • One is authoritarian state ism and nationalist populism, and the other is the big, messy, glorious experiment that has been America laid upon the table.

  • Republican congressman French Hill voted against impeachment last week.

  • What does he make of that binary choice?

  • America v.

  • Trump.

  • President Trump's rhetoric is hot.

  • It's been divisive in many instances, on DSO.

  • That doesn't surprise May, but I believe the platform of the Republican Party is sound and those core Republican views that we've held for decades about more limited government, a strong national security leadership in the world, economic opportunity and equal justice for all at home.

  • Those are key tenets that we stand by in the Republican Party.

  • So this is Maura about President Trump's personal actions that the Senate will be judging.

  • So in a nutshell, you trust the Senate to make the right decision, and if they vote to convict, you'd be happy with that.

  • I trust them to make hold the debate here the evidence and make the right decision, and because I believe strongly in our system of government and the due process accorded in the Senate trial.

  • I will live at peace.

  • I will be at peace with the decision that they take.

  • America is living in dog years right now.

  • If two weeks ago seems a lifetime, Ah, 100 days time seems an age.

  • Grab one and go.

  • For now, the soldiers will become part of the strange wallpaper of this town.

  • Maneuvers by day.

  • Marry it by night.

  • On what of the eventual legacy of this election?

  • A man so scared of losing convinced a mob that he hadn't.

  • Where do they go for their politics when he's done?

If Donald Trump had always dreamed of a grand military send off, it was probably not one that looked like this in the place of parade.

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