Those life-forming lessons seemed to have been lost over the last decade as the Washington establishment and its obedient media lap-dogs surrendered any pretense of objectivity while pursuing Trump Derangement Syndrome with single-minded passion. Has any US president been subjected to such outrages as the constant contempt of Jim Acosta or the combative rage of his White House colleagues in allegedly neutral “interviews” during the 2020 campaign? Look at us, they said while signaling their virtues, as we show the world how this outrageous interloper beat Saint Hillary, sold out to Vladimir Putin and now opposes the Always Avuncular Joe Biden. After yesterday’s harrowing events, President Obama was quick to call for “civility and respect” amidst the current acrimony: But can anyone still remember his in-your-face rhetoric during the 2008 campaign? Or how any criticism of Mr. Obama or his two administrations, was somehow considered tantamount to racism?

The last month has revealed much about where this country really stands, disclosures largely un-noticed by a media establishment obsessed by their own compulsions. Not only were the American people upset when our once secure southwestern border disappeared but they can barely cope as inflation still destroys the economy. Our church recently called on its members to renew their dedication to tithes and offerings, including those supporting our neediest communities – now seemingly needier than ever. The media typically downplays such concerns, maybe because they were too busy concealing Joe Biden’s growing infirmities. Unfortunately for them, the debate revealed to ordinary Americans what their elected and non-elected representatives had tried so hard to conceal – and touched off the current succession crisis. That reality – together with the outrageous “lawfare” strategy orchestrated by the Biden White House – explains the unprecedented rise of Donald Trump and the immediate backdrop to yesterday’s events. 

So what should happen now? However belated, President Obama is surely correct in calling for a return to civility in our politics, possibly beginning with himself and his allies throughout the American left. What better opportunity could there be, for example, than for the ladies of The View to take a long overdue vacation?  Similarly, President Biden should repeal lawfare, its trials and other proceedings – even if he has to issue a conditional pardon to Donald Trump. (He could even sweeten the deal by pardoning Hunter at the same time!) Finally, there is the comprehensive investigation of yesterday’s events already being organized by House Republicans. The key question: How did that gunman get so close to our once and (maybe) future president?

In searching for the deeper meanings behind the American malaise, a high school friend sent me a perceptive column, “The Deep Source of Trump’s Appeal “by David Brooks. His argument is taken from University of Virginia cultural historian James D. Hunter, who suggests that America represents an uneasy compromise between secular Enlightenment philosophy and the strict religious standards of the Founders. The problem: modern Americans have become less religious and more inclined to authoritarian solutions or identity politics advanced from either left or right. Even worse: the Bizarro-world of My Truth. “Can you have an Enlightenment political system atop a post-Enlightenment culture?” Probably not, so we need “a new cultural consensus that is democratic but also morally coherent. (Probably) this work of cultural repair will be done by religious progressives, by a new generation of leaders who will build a modern social gospel around love of neighbor and hospitality for the marginalized.” https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/11/opinion/trump-biden-authoritarianism.html

Really, Mr. Brooks, but hasn’t that “solution” already been tried? One of the unifying perspectives of both the Old and New Testaments is that lawgivers from Moses to Jesus consistently warned about the certain disasters facing peoples who forgot their God. Given our recent  history, doesn’t it seem as if the nation desperately needs a time of prayer, reflection and repentance?

COL (Ret.) Ken Allard is a former West Point professor, Dean of the National War College and NBC News military analyst.