Squirrel!

- I didn't do it.
- We think you did.
- Nobody saw me do it.
- In fact, we have several witnesses.
- You can't prove anything.
- Actually...
- Look! A squirrel!

This mash-up between "The Simpsons" and "Up!" is, figuratively speaking, where the political debate in the US has been going for the past few weeks. Short term crisis management and reporting around scandals have completely overwhelmed more important discussions about whatever long term plans there may have been. Politicians have been swept up into a tornado of "fake politics" and are unable to do their job. The issue is not whether Donald Trump's presidency will survive, because that seems highly unlikely by now, but the White House administration is basically dysfunctional, with no real leadership and far too many vacancies among medium level staff. One of the world's most powerful countries is tied up in a deeply troubling political infight.

While this is playing out, the US has only a weak presence in the international scene, and their internal ruckus is deeply damaging to their reputation, their credibility and their economy. In many ways, this is the best outcome Russia could have hoped for when they started their information attack on the United States. Kremlin's puppets might not last long in the Oval Office, but their legacy of chaos and destruction will taint the United States for years to come.