With each passing day that they continue to pursue it, the damage increases. They won't be able to undo all the damage, of course - but they could mitigate by abandoning this course. Rather than pretending that there's no alternative than to keep pressing on.

The problem is that Trump (and acolytes) are convinced the US can do it all single-handedly. The truth is that we are a mighty and powerful nation, but we are still only 25% of the economy, and less than that of military, and less than that of population.

We did not win World War II by ourselves, although the heroic movies from Hollywood and the programs on the History Channel mostly ignore that. It took Stalin and the sacrifices of 10 times as many soldiers as we had, it took England standing resolute and the French underground to bring about that result.

We did not win World War I alone, either; indeed we didn’t even enter the war until it was long underway, and even when we did it took another full year before we were properly mobilized for it, by which time much of the fighting and dying was already past.

We have done some wonderful and amazing things: the Marshall Plan, ending segregation, leading science, sharing with the world, but we are not the ONLY ones to think about - and it is astonishing to me that in a few short weeks this administration has set the entire world apart from us: England, France, Germany, the Scandanivan countries; Mexico and Canada, natural allies no longer; Japan and China too. We’ve abandoned Ukraine and tried to be friends with Russia, to what end?

This policy ranks among the most disastrous in the chronicle of the US, and will be told in the history books (assuming there are history books) alongside such misadventures as Vietnam, Teapot Dome, and the Civil War. Yes, it’s that bad - or will be if it continues. There is a possibility of mitigating, not eliminating the destruction, but it would need to start soon and be smart, and neither of those seems a likely prospect.