Impeachment public testimony starts today. And a bit of vindictiveness.

Of course, today's big news is that the House holds its first public testimony in the impeachment inquiry of soi disant "president" Donald Trump. Things are going to go from bad to worse to "Holy fuck is there enough bourbon in the world for this".

A long time ago, I wrote that impeachment was not only a moral imperative, but a political one as well. Trump, on a daily basis, was committing high crimes and misdemeanors. Now that we're here, as Ted Striker said in that bar when he first cast eyes on Elaine Dickinson, I want the rough looking guy standing next to me to pinch me to make sure I'm not dreaming.

Trump doesn't even know what's going to hit him. I have no doubt that his sycophants are telling him that the Senate will exonerate him, and public opinion will turn against Democrats for wasting the country's time.

Of course, polling in support of impeachment and removal is getting worse for Trump, not better. Far from a Senate acquittal putting a line under the matter, it will further enrage an electorate against a lawless "leader" and his toady party, and drive Democratic poll numbers up as voters seek to mete out justice at the ballot box.

The New York Times broke a story yesterday which shows that Trump's head is just not in the game.

President Trump has discussed dismissing the intelligence community’s inspector general, Michael Atkinson, because Mr. Atkinson reported a whistle-blower’s complaint about Mr. Trump’s interactions with Ukraine to Congress after concluding it was credible, according to four people familiar with the discussions.

Mr. Trump first expressed his dismay about Mr. Atkinson around the time the whistle-blower’s complaint became public in September. In recent weeks, he has continued to raise with aides the possibility of firing him, one of the people said.

The president has said he does not understand why Mr. Atkinson shared the complaint, which outlined how Mr. Trump asked the Ukrainian president to investigate Mr. Trump’s political rivals at the same time he was withholding military aid from the country. He has said he believes Mr. Atkinson, whom he appointed in 2017, has been disloyal, one of the people said.

That's right. Trump's circling the drain, and he's still focused on petty vindictiveness against a man who is no longer playing a role in his impeachment. Michael Atkinson did his job, as laid out by law. The damage to Trump has already been done. But this petty little pissant, instead of concentrating on his own crumbling fortunes, wants to fire the guy whose actions started this whole ball rolling, as if that act would make impeachment magically go away. This is further proof that Trump made his riches, such as they are, not by intelligence and perspicacity, but by Jamaica Queens bluster and mobster tactics. He still thinks he can operate like a petty crook. He still, even now, even as the full power of the edifice constructed by the Founders is about to crash on him, operates like a penny ante loan shark. He was never suited for the world of New York high finance from which he was always barred as a louche conman; he's certainly in over his head in the political game of thrones which is the power politics of the world's last empire.

Get the snack and drink of your choice. History has arrived.