The day Al Qaeda murdered American soldiers outside Kabul airport young Congressman Madison Cawthorn tweeted a video showing him waving a letter to Kamala Harris; square-jawed, square-shouldered, voice indignant, mimicking Trump, Cawthorn demanded Harris defrock Biden by using the 25^th Amendment – to prove his point he intoned (what he called) “eternal, weighty, and wise” passages from Treasure Island in his letter…then slipped, misspelled Kamala Harris’ name.

The sun set, rose, standing erect on the manicured lawn in front of the White House Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stared into a TV camera; slender, narrow faced, humming voice mirroring Biden, Sullivan purred about the strength of Joe Biden’s ‘razor-sharp focus’ on Afghanistan.

Afghanistan ended in victory for terrorists. A defeat for us.

We’ve survived defeats before but there’s no escaping one lesson: Trump and Trump mimics, Biden and Biden mimics won’t purge the germs in our blood cells. To move beyond defeat – pray for new leaders.

Boasting for months Trump said his Arizona audit – done by his allies in the state Senate – would prove he won Arizona. The audit backfired. Confirmed Trump lost.

Did Trump admit he was wrong?

No. He erupted, firing off scalding emails ripping the ‘fake news’ media, calling for audits in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Texas. (Which was odd…why does Trump want to audit a state he won?)

Trump’s audit proved he lost…but Trump goes right on saying he won.

There’s no sin in losing but sowing a lie is a sin.

83% of voters – in a poll – said Taliban is a terrorist group and said Trump shouldn’t have negotiated with Taliban.

To elect Ted Budd, in an ad Trump says Budd’s always supported him – here’s a question Budd is bound to be asked: Do you think Taliban’s a terrorist group? Was Trump wrong to negotiate with terrorists?

If Budd says Trump was right to negotiate with Taliban – voters will shake their heads.

If Budd says Trump was wrong…Lord knows how Trump will react.

The Taliban is a terrorist group. Trump made a deal with Taliban to withdraw our soldiers from Afghanistan. It didn’t work out. Taliban took over. Trump roared it was Joe Biden’s fault.

Biden, pointing fingers, shot back Trump signed the agreement with Taliban. It was Trump’s fault.

Neither ever admitted he made a single mistake.

And people watching sighed, shaking their heads, weary of both Biden and Trump.

John Bolton and I both supported Reagan in 1976; four years later when Reagan’s campaign emerged from the New Hampshire primary dead-broke John told me: The Congressional Club needs to do an independent campaign for Reagan.

Puzzled, I asked: What’s an independent campaign?

Americans for Reagan spent millions to help elect Reagan.

Last February as we talked, catching up, John asked: Do you believe Trump rules the Republican party?

No. But you’d need a poll to know for sure.

John believed conservative principles, not Trump (or any one man), should be Republican’s lodestar. Took a poll.

Trump’s popularity had plummeted since he’d lost to Biden. But he was still powerful.

In John’s second poll in July Trump’s decline continued. Many Republican primary voters liked Trump’s policies but not his personality. But he still led in the primary with 46% of the vote.

Political earthquakes are rare but Afghanistan was an earthquake.

Withdrawal was popular. Biden and Trump withdrew. Americans saw what happened, thought, That was a mistake. Withdrawal became unpopular. Taliban had given Osama bin Laden a base in Afghanistan before 9/11; now back in power it could give terrorists safe havens again.

In his third poll last month John asked: Are we safer today than we were before the withdrawal from Afghanistan? Americans said No. Conservative Americans said no louder than anyone else.

John asked: Should we have withdrawn all our troops or kept some troops in Afghanistan? Only a third said withdraw all our troops.

Do you think Taliban is a terrorist group? 88% said Yes.

Do you think Trump should have negotiated with Taliban? No.

Was withdrawal a good idea Biden botched or a bad idea? A bad idea.

Did Trump and Biden both make the mistake of trusting Taliban’s promises. Yes.

Who’s to blame: Biden, Trump, or both? Some only blamed Trump, some only blamed Biden, more blamed both.

The earthquake hit: Joe Biden’s popularity plummeted 30 points with Independents. Trump dropped 20 points in the Republican primary – in July he led with 46% of the vote, now only leads Ron DeSantis by a whisker: 26% to 25%. Trump’s biggest drop was with conservative primary voters.

John asked one last question: Do we need new leaders to more forward?

Most voters nodded said Yes…a sign of hope.

If you’d asked me, Leave Afghanistan? a year ago I’d have nodded, said, Yes. We had tanks, jets, helicopters, drones – and Taliban didn’t – but we botched the war.

But it turns out escape was an illusion.

It’s an old story. We fight an enemy. We hand our enemy a gift. And the chickens fly home to roost.

We said for years, ‘America does not negotiate with terrorists’ – but then, both Trump and Biden did negotiate with terrorists, telling Taliban, We’ll fly our soldiers home if, in exchange, you protect us from terrorists like Al Qaeda. Bearded mullahs nodded making promises. Trump signed the agreement to withdraw. Biden carried it out. Polls said ending the ‘forever war’ was popular.

And it was until we pulled out.

After the Twin Towers fell Taliban gave Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda safe havens. Now Taliban’s back in power and can provide terrorists safe havens again – proving withdrawal wasn’t a good idea Biden botched it was a bad idea. Are we safer now than when we had 5,000 soldiers in Kabul? No.

Eyes locked on a television set, sitting ramrod straight, lean-faced, Dan stared at Joe Biden – in the middle of a sentence Biden lost his train of thought, stammered, waving his hands, face blank.

“He’s senile.”

Turning, Dan glared at me. “Those two polls about Trump that John Bolton or you did were a joke.”

 Jack, taller than Dan, older, white-haired, laughed.

“Dan’s right, ole’ Biden’s got a loose screw but I like Bolton – how did you meet?”

“Both of us supported Reagan in 1976; he helped me in Jesse’s campaign a year later – he’s an old-fashioned conservative.”

Last February as John and I talked, catching up, he asked, “Do you believe it’s true Trump rules the Republican Party?”

“No. But if you want to be sure take a poll – numbers don’t lie.”

Half the Republican primary voters – in the poll John took – said Trump’s endorsement made no difference to them; the rest split, some for Trump’s candidate, some against. Trump consigliere Jason Miller slammed John on Twitter – John took a second poll; again, half the voters said Trump’s endorsement didn’t matter to them.

Next Trump charged into the Texas Special Election to elect his candidate, roaring, “Susan has my Complete and Total Endorsement.”

Susan Wright lost.

Jack ran his hand through his hair. “That sounds like Bolton’s polls were right.”

Last November, before the election, Jack, like Dan, had been an unbending pro-Trumpster. After Biden won, for months, he nodded when Trump said, “The election was stolen” – he put both elbows on the table.

“Can Trump beat Biden next time?”

“I suspect Biden’s praying Trump runs again.”

“So a fresh face would be a stronger candidate to whip Biden?”

I nodded, asked Dan: “When Trump told Pence, ‘Throw out the Electoral College votes,’ Pence said that would be unconstitutional. Do you agree with Pence or Trump?”

“Pence was chicken.”

Jack took another small step away from Trump.

“I don’t fault Pence – he did what he thought was right.”

“And put Biden in the White House,” Dan snapped.

That’s the Republican world today – unflinching Trumpsters, past Trump supporters stepping away from Trump, and old-fashioned conservatives who obey principles not Trump.

Trump roars…rules…dictates who wins Republican primaries…that mantra bit the dust last week.

John Bolton and I have been friends for 40 years; one of the last old-fashioned conservatives, he supported Reagan back in 1976, helped me in Jesse’s campaign a year later, left his law practice to serve in Reagan’s administration.

Last February as we talked, catching up, he asked, Do you believe it’s true Trump rules the Republican party?

“Take a poll – numbers don’t lie.”

Half the Republican primary voters – in the poll John took – said Trump’s endorsement didn’t matter to them; the rest split, some for Trump’s candidate, some against. Trump consigliere Jason Miller promptly slammed John on Twitter – John took a second poll; again, half the voters said Trump’s endorsement didn’t matter to them.

Last week, Texas’ Special Election confirmed the numbers didn’t lie: Trump charged into the fray to elect his candidate Susan Wright, roaring, “Susan has my Complete and Total Endorsement.”

Wright lost.

Echoing the old proverb, the day after the election, words flowing up out of his heart, revealing his character, rolled off Trump’s lips.

Trump told a reporter, “This is not a loss…”

The other day Mitch McConnell told Chuck Schumer that not one Republican Senator would vote to raise the debt ceiling…then in the next breath told Schumer how to raise the ceiling on his own without a single Republican vote.

Schumer shot back: ‘This debt is Trump’s debt. It’s Covid debt. Americans pay their debts.’ To Schumer, borrowing isn’t borrowing – it’s paying debts.

Over in the House, climbing up onto her pedestal Nancy Pelosi declared she was appointing a ‘bi-partisan’ commission to investigate the January 6 riot. She appointed eight members, told Kevin McCarthy he could name five. As soon as he did Pelosi booted two of McCarthy’s appointees off the committee – they were too pro-Trump.

Schumer calls borrowing paying debt. McConnell says no to borrowing then tells Schumer how to borrow more. Pelosi claims she’s ‘bi-partisan’ then gives two Republicans the boot.

The swamp’s alive and well…

Standing on stage at his rally in Ohio Trump bragged, ‘I won by a landslide’ – beside me, watching Trump’s video, my friend nodded. I leaned toward him.

‘Give me one fact that proves Trump won?’

He laughed. ‘Do I think the Democrats would steal an election…yes, in a minute.’ He didn’t need facts – all he needed was mistrust of Democrats.

After election night Trump roared voting machines switched his votes to Joe Biden – Trump sowed fear corrupt machines stole the election. But recounts led by Republican officials in swing states found no vote switching machines.

Trump roared on: Late election night vote swings were proof Democrats stuffed ballot boxes, said more people voted in Detroit than lived in Detroit. Michigan’s State Senate, which has a Republican majority, investigated – only half the registered voters in Detroit had voted. Late night swings did look odd but they weren’t: When a state counted mail-in ballots first Biden led. As soon as the election day votes were counted Trump surged ahead – we saw that happen here in North Carolina: Biden led then, later that night, Trump surged into the lead. In other states – like Pennsylvania – where they counted mail-in ballots last, not first, Trump led early (as the ballots cast on election day were counted) then the mail-in ballots were counted – grimacing we watched Biden surge ahead.

Years ago my friend Jack Hawke ran for Congress, lost by a thousand votes, filed a lawsuit – to take Jack’s case to trial his lawyers had to show a judge evidence (not proof just evidence) a thousand votes had been stolen. His lawyers tried, came up short, a Republican judge dismissed the case. That happened to Trump – he filed lawsuits, couldn’t give judges evidence enough votes were stolen to overturn the election, judges shook their heads.

‘Never admit you’re wrong’ is one of Trump’s mantras – is that why he said in Ohio, ‘I won by a landslide’? Could be. But there’s another practical reason: Joe Biden was an incredibly weak candidate. By telling Republicans he won Trump avoided a withering question: How on earth did Biden beat you? As long as Trump has Republicans convinced he won they won’t start looking for a stronger candidate to defeat Biden next time.

When a President, or now former President, stands on a stage, tells a taradiddle, who pays the piper? Does the Good Lord turn a blind eye? No. Trump’s admirers and foes – emulating him – see lies as tools not evils, the most poisonous fruit of all.