As I write this, House managers are making the case for amendments to Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell's rules for the impeachment trial of Donald Trump. Some adjustments have already been made by McConnell, and more are wanted by minority leader Chuck Schumer.
However these arguments play out, and whether or not witnesses and documents make an appearance in this trial, Senators will be tasked with acquitting or convicting the president for his actions.
After which, the senators themselves will have to take the heat for their actions. Should they fail to perform a fair trial in this case, according to the laws and traditions of this nation, they could face serious consequences.
It may be that a majority of them are willing to throw off the burden of their oaths and ignore the facts behind the impeachment articles for the sake of protecting Donald Trump, the leader of their political party.
That action may or may not be rewarded with glory and repeated reelection to public office.
It's a delicate calculation, far more difficult than simply viewing all the evidence and making a reasonable decision. There is a lot of guesswork involved.
How will the voters see their performances?
Senators facing a difficult primary have to worry about folks in their own party, sure. But if they manage to stagger through that gauntlet, they'll have to face the entire electorate in their state: voters from other parties, as well as those not bound to any party.
Citizens who might do a better job of weighing the evidence in question: the senator's documented actions.
Those Republican senators who choose to right what they see as a Democratic hoax by perpetrating a hoax of their own may find a difference of opinion in their home states.
Those who choose to protect the leader of their party may ultimately find they've walked themselves off a cliff pursuing a reward not worth having.
You can't trust the "vindicated" president will stump for your reelection, nor can you trust voters to pay any attention to him if he does.
More evidence of presidential misconduct will surface in time, in the Ukraine case and in others. The man can't help himself.
If the Republican party closes ranks and defrauds the American people of a fair trial, its members may find as a result that their party is in serious disfavor with the voters.
If that happens, the Republican gamble that they can reconstitute their political party after allowing the president to chew it up and poop it out, may prove to be a poor choice.
Whatever random bits and pieces that survive the rigors of passing through that man's overworked colon are likely to be mismatched chunks of a very stinky jigsaw puzzle.
Also, by that time, all political credibility may have been forfeited. Should that be the outcome, backing the president no matter what will have turned out to be fatal.
How can Republican senators avoid this death sentence?
One good start would be to live up to the oath they took and preside over a fair trial. And if the evidence warrants, convict the president and remove him from office.
Truthfully, the senators in question might want to consider convicting the president even if there is some doubt the evidence warrants it.
Might just be the only way for the Republican Party to have a future it can live with.
[As I complete this post, the Senate has voted along party lines to table the amendment for White House documents. Not a good start, boys and girls.]
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