The British comedian Eddie Izzard has a silent stage bit where, nodding, he announces to his audiences some outrageous plan. Pause. Then, he shakes his head. Audience giggles. Pause. He nods again. Audience laughs. Shakes his head. Louder laughter. He nods once more. Guffaws.
President Donald Trump wasn't going for laughs in recent days. So, his remarks and behavior, jumping from one announced policy decision to another, from one seemingly outrageous plan to abandoning it, generated laughter but also serious concerns among many.
It's a measure of the confusing and tiring turmoil ascendant in U.S. politics and beyond that such actions simultaneously ignite professed worries about Trump's mental state among his overeager critics and admiration among determined supporters for his unpredictability and establishment-rattling candor.
