Nigeria, March 3 -- There was a revolting tabloid quality to the Oval Office reception given to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on February 28, but then again, President Donald Trump is a tabloid brute, a man incarnated from the nastiest, shallowest precepts of yellow press clippings and, ultimately, the reality television empire that gave him a crown and forever enshrined him in the culture of brash Americana. From the foamy cable television rot of the republic, Trump's progress was inexorable.

With such ingredients, the White House has become a studio, with the statesmanship of the bullying shows paramount. The electors are to be entertained by what might be called colosseum politics. They want bread but are very keen on the cir...