Senators have a duty to conduct a fair and full trial. The Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, is trying to make sure they don’t. The strategy is obvious. Let’s get through this impeachment trial as quickly as possible. The senate finds the president not guilty and he will have another reason for re-election. Trump will point to his exoneration as proof of the great job he is doing as president.

Are the American people likely to buy this strategy? Of course I don’t know the answer but if we look at history we all can see that Americans know when the country is on a wrong path.

The best example is the presidency of Jimmy Carter. Two situations denied him a second term. The inflation rate rose from 6% to 12% rates while unemployment remained at 7.5% and 52 hostages were taken from the U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran and held for over a year before the 1980 election. Those nightly updates on ABC’s Nightline about the hostages only reinforced public opinion that Carter was ineffective.

There is also a remote possibility that Republican senators will take a hard look at the constitution and realize that Mr. Trump is a threat to this American democracy.