Imagine it...

... it could never happen today

Imagine it.

A moment when every living president could stand in the same room. Not for politics. Not for show. But for the country.

Once, that was possible regardless of party. Differences were real, but dignity was intact. The office still meant something.

Now? We are governed by grievance. Poisoned by propaganda. Led by a man so widely reviled, so determined to divide, that this kind of gathering couldn’t happen if we tried.

As a presidential historian, I’ve seen our country stumble, fracture, even bleed. But this moment? This is different. It’s not just leadership in decline, it’s the loss of shared reality. And the damage is piling up by the day.

It doesn’t matter what he may achieve - the hate he inspires is too great, emanating from him and then returning to him in kind. It’s simply not sustainable.

The next three years can’t pass quickly enough. God knows what will be left. But I still believe in America. I believe we will survive. We always do.

I just wish this part was over.

#ThisPart