Letter: Trump no longer an entertaining diversion

I’m a dedicated fan of conservative political columnist David Brooks. Not only are his points even-handed, they’re always insightful, and he has an enviable way with words that makes me smile.

For example, he explained how Trump has always been “a little engine fueled by wounded pride.” And Brooks’ description of Trump’s propensity to “every 30 seconds or so … shoot off on a resentment-filled bragging loop” nailed it. I also appreciate how he culls great lines from diverse sources I don’t normally read — always with appropriate sourcing. A good example is Brooks’ quote from political consultant Mike Murphy who observed Trump’s belligerency has recently “passed from the category of rant to the category of ‘full on drunk wedding toast.’ ”

Great metaphors ring true. And bile formed at the back of my throat when, after enjoying a romp through a Brooks piece, I read this bare, unadorned summation: “Trump could win the presidency … even though he has less and less control over himself.”

Trump is no longer an entertaining diversion. Despite his pretty and articulate children, none of whom are running for president, I sense in Trump a threat I’ve only read about in books: Postmortems on ego-challenged and/or mentally unstable leaders unveil a frightening pattern in human behavior, detailing how otherwise rational people have become enraptured with Stalin, Hitler, Machiavelli and others of that ilk.

This story was originally published July 22, 2016 at 12:47 PM with the headline "Letter: Trump no longer an entertaining diversion."