AWFUL – AT 11:31 A.M. ET:  I've rarely seen a worse weekend in American presidential politics.  We have two disgraces running for the presidency.  They are both unqualified by virtue of a lack of virtue.  No character.   And we have a presidential debate tomorrow night.  We should be ashamed.

Donald Trump is a professional sleazeball.  Hillary Clinton is a professional corruptionist.  And one of them will succeed in the office of the president a professional amateur.  Welcome to American leadership.

There are rumblings on the Republican side that Trump must drop out, after the release, by the Washington Post yesterday, of a devastating video that depicts him vividly describing his sexual exploits and targets.  Those who dismiss it as vulgar locker-room talk have never heard men in a locker room.  Yes, men talk about sex and about women, and about body parts, and women know that.  But rarely does the banter reach the level exhibited by Trump in that video.  That's not locker-room talk.  That is a psychological problem. 

The e-mails and transcripts regarding Hillary Clinton, released yesterday by Winkle, are just as bad, portraying Hillary Clinton as the phony she is – one who lies to the public as a matter of course.  "Oh, but they all do it, don't they?"  Well, politicians are manipulative, but it depends on the degree.  Most have limits.  Hillary has none.  She's Trump without the sex.

The Hillary story has been buried by the Trump story.  Once again we see the impact of a dishonest and biased press.  And there is serious talk on the Republican side of replacing Trump.  I don't think it will reach that point, but we can expect to see more and more Republicans distancing themselves from their presidential nominee, taking back their endorsement, and concentrating on Senate and Congressional races.  Indeed, the race for the Senate may be the most important one this year, as Republicans try to counter the expected election of Hillary Clinton.

In 1968 the Republicans nominated the stale, disliked Richard Nixon.  He was elected, to not much applause.  Nixon had a flawed character.  But we have never seen, in presidential politics, anything like the Trump video.  And we wonder if there are more coming.

October 8,  2016