If I tried to pitch a novel where one presidential candidate talked about how he could grab any woman he wanted by the pussy and whose charity bought portraits of himself and he publicly praised the leaders of Russia and Syria and the other presidential candidate was married to a man who was almost impeached for lying about having sex with an intern in the White House, blurred the lines between public and private access and used a private email server while exchanging documents marked classified, not a single agent would pick up the phone.

If I added that the first candidate bragged his daughter was so hot he’d do her  and didn’t seem to comprehend the limits to executive power and the second candidate’s email scandal evolved to involve a serial twitter predator who was married to her closest aide and once took a photo of his erection to send to a 15 year old while lying next to their sleeping son, the agents would put me on a do not call list.

This is what this US election has become. Yes, there are deplorables–the candidates of the two major parties. Shame on them. Shame on the parties. Shame on the press. Shame on America for not being able to find someone more worthy to lead their nation.

I fear November 9th, regardless of who wins. It’s going to be close and the other side may have trouble accepting the outcome. That means four years of name calling and gridlock.

Four more years for Putin to expand his empire.

With Europe engulfed in a refugee crisis and Brexit, with the global economy sputtering along, with the US preoccupied with domestic affairs, it’s a perfect time for Putin to make another play.

And he will.