Let's also not pretend that we're approaching anything close to a return to politics as we once knew it. There was a time when, not too long ago, if we saw a Republican elected president we could at least be secure in the knowledge that he would likely govern competently and wouldn't just blow the place up all to hell. That's clearly not the case anymore.

The Republican Party is obviously in the grips of right-wing radical extremists who are hellbent on establishing a white nationalist autocracy. There is also a very real possibility that the GOP itself may not survive its internal turmoil and instead implode, and who knows what may arise in its place should that happen.

If we've learned anything from this recent near-miss for our democracy, it's that there is no such thing as American exceptionalism and further, we are not omnipotent. We came perilously close to reliving Argentina's experience with the volatile and bloody domestic politics of Juan Peron.

That it didn't happen certainly wasn't due to the resilience of our democratic institutions, Rather, it was because there were just enough thinking and functional Americans who were determined to hold the line against a right-wing fascist onslaught, and who marched to the polls in the last three elections to ensure that it didn't occur.

Joe Biden has been a steady hand at the tiller during some extraordinarily turbulent times. For sure, he's not a flashy or flamboyant leader but then again, this ain't "Dancing with the Stars." Speaking as someone who's been a longtime critic of Biden in the past, I think he's done a pretty magnificent job, all things considered.

Two years after the end of a serious political error that nearly cost us our democracy, we've gotten through the pandemic, the economy's turned around, people are back to work and best of all, Biden's predecessor in office is about to be held to criminal account for the damage he inflicted on our country. In the immortal words of Fred Sanford, that ain't chump change.

We need to remain incredibly sober and vigilant about where we are right now, and not allow our political decision making to devolve back to the retrograde pop culture-driven mess that saddled us with a vainglorious reality show star as head of state and propelled us into our present difficulties in the first place.

Very difficult to foresee the ultimate result of the U.S. poring money into defense of Ukraine. What will be left.