I have been rethinking this impeachment. I abhor Trump and all that he and his minions have done to reverse progress. He is guilty as hell, an observation made by several republican senators who voted against more witnesses. These comments inhibit Trump's ability to crow about being exonerated, which I think is part of Alexander Lamar's strategy. Trump should be ousted from office but then I have to think about what will follow. More about that in a bit. Trump will have to live with the legacy of being impeached, a fate he shares with his self-defined nemesis, Bill Clinton. This parallel needs to be emphasized because I know how much it will eat at Trump. He can't un-do it. Comprehending this will drive him off the rails. I await his State of the Union Address to see if he can avoid dwelling on it. I won't watch it because his very presence makes me ill and I don't want to add to the ratings to inflate his ego. But I anticipate seeing the aftermath. If by some miracle the Senate votes to convict we'll be left with the presidency of Pence. Pence's behavior during Trump's presidency has been very curious. He's maintained a plastic face for three years. What lurks beneath that fake surface? His public statements have been limited and abundantly supportive of his president. He has been the perfect sycophant. I've suspected that Pence has been holding his hat on the sidelines just waiting for the inevitable Trump implosion. Pence has been covertly working with his evangelical constituency to undermine social progress. Women and gays are his targets. If Trump's out, Pence is in. Pence's presidency would usher in the worst of Trump's agenda while adding Pence's more insidious and pernicious goals into the mix. Pence is oilier than Trump and a smoother politician. I bet it won't take long for that placid facade to crack open. If we think Trump is evil, Pence will make him look angelic. Right now Pence is a relative non-entity except in his religious circle. Give him the presidency by default and the real man will emerge. The rabid GOP base will fall in line. I'll grit my teeth through the next nine months of a Trump presidency and hope that anti-Trump rage will carry through the election.