A "Perfect" Acquittal.

The United States Senate has acquitted President Donald Trump on two counts of impeachment, both on party-line votes (if you don't count Mitt Romney).  On Article 1, which is Abuse of Power, the verdict was 52-48 not guilty.  On Article 2, which is Obstruction of Congress, it was a 53-47 not guilty vote.

It was all a foregone conclusion.  When you have a Senate trial presided over by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, you should have expected better than a glorified mock debate between Democratic House managers (led by Rep. Adam Schiff) who argued Trump's guilt and White House attorneys who, not unlike Don Draper, tried to sell the Senate (and TV viewers) on the idea that the President did nothing wrong in convincing Ukraine to investigate former vice president Joe Biden and his son's alleged involvement in an oil company there.

Of all the scandals Trump had allegedly been involved with before and during his presidency, the Democrats decided to try him on Ukraine.  That's like trying to nail Al Capone for tax evasion, or O.J. Simpson for robbing a Nevada casino instead of murder.

As it turned out, Trump shut it all down.  No testifying from witnesses who worked for him.  No incriminating documents, even if all that was illegal or constitutionally questionable.  Even John Bolton, the former National Security Adviser whom everyone wanted to hear from, would rather be cashing checks from a book deal than testifying.  So no witnesses and Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell keeping his fellow Republicans in line (again, if you don't count Romney) saved Trump from being the first President to get thrown out of office without the voters' help.

Now Trump stands alone.  Impeachment (which he has long considered a hoax) may have earned him nothing more than a slap on the wrist.  He got the benefit of Republicans who behaved like clueless, yet protective, parents trying to discipline a rebellious child who thumbs his nose at society.  Not for nothing was Trump's State of the Union address Tuesday turned into a partisan reality show farce, which made House Speaker Nancy Pelosi so disgusted that she tore up her copy of the speech.

Now that the impeachment drama (of sorts) is over, it's time to turn our attention to the 2020 elections.  Trump is enjoying the best poll numbers of his presidency (which isn't saying much).  The Democrats aren't having much luck in deciding who their front runner is, especially after a monumental screwup in tallying the Iowa caucus votes.  As of 2/5, with 97% of the precincts finally rolling in, CNN reports that Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders are running neck and neck for the lead in the state's delegates.

Trump is the 800 lb. gorilla in American politics.  He thinks he can do no wrong, because his enablers and supporters have made sure nothing ever will.  But even King Kong has to come down from the Empire State Building sometime. We'll have a better idea come November.