Donald Trump’s implosion difficult to watch

Trump’s increasingly odd, unpresidential behavior 

As the Iowa caucus looms and Ben Carson is gaining momentum, Donald Trump is veering off into a land stranger than OZ.

In a 95-minute tirade in Fort Dodge, Iowa on Thursday, Trump lashed out at the very voters he needs, saying those who believed Carson’s explanations clarifying portions of his autobiography, “Gifted Hands,” in which he admitted having a “pathological temper” as a child, illustrated signs of stupidity of Iowa voters and voters in general, who are beginning to pay close attention to the retired neurosurgeon.

“How stupid are the people of Iowa?” Trump asked. “How stupid are the people of the country to believe this crap?” A master of repetition, he continued, “Give me a break, give me a break — it doesn’t happen that way. It doesn’t happen that way.”

Trump claimed Carson has a “pathological disease” with no cure, comparing it to the incurable mental conditions of child molesters. “A child molester, there’s no cure for that,” Trump incoherently ranted. “If you’re a child molester, there’s no cure. They can’t stop you. Pathological? There’s no cure.”

This was Dr. Carson’s calm response:

Questions arose in August when Trump announced he had fired his longtime friend and campaign advisor Roger Stone. Stone disputed that, saying he quit.

Politico discloses a portion of Stone’s email to Trump:

“I was proud to have played a role in the launch of your presidential campaign. Your message of ‘Make America Great Again’ harkened back to the Reagan era. Restoring national pride and bringing jobs back to America — your initial and still underlying message — is a solid conservative message. In fact, it catapulted you instantly into a commanding lead in the race,” Stone’s email said.

“Unfortunately, the current controversies involving personalities and provocative media fights have reached such a high volume that it has distracted attention from your platform and overwhelmed your core message,” Stone wrote. “With this current direction of the candidacy, I no longer can remain involved in your campaign.”

Try to imagine being an advisor to a billionaire showman who refuses to take advice. No paycheck would be adequate compensation.