In a political world not dominated by "Trump Derangement Syndrome", it would have been shocking to hear the paeans of praise heaped upon departed Senator John McCain, one of the leading war hawks in Congress, who passed away last month.  The same Democrats who two weeks earlier rallied to defend former CIA chief John Brennan when President Trump removed his security clearance, were gushing over the "humanity" of McCain, praising him as a hero, who made great sacrifices for the country.  What Brennan and McCain actually have in common is that both have been fanatic opponents of the strategic outlook of President Trump, who is committed to reversing the regime change policies and endless wars that the two embraced and engaged in, even when the result of their actions was to increase the likelihood of nuclear confrontation with Russia.

The conviction of Paul Manafort, who served briefly as Donald Trump's campaign manager in 2016, on eight of eighteen counts, combined with the guilty plea by Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen on eight counts—both of which occurred on August 21—open a new, dangerous stage in global strategic affairs.  While the anti-Trump media is filled with gleeful ejaculations, such as "The end (of Trump) is near," these "victories" for the Mueller team are by no means decisive in themselves.  Neither prove anything about the allegations which led to appointment of Robert Mueller as special counsel, as no evidence was presented in either case related to Russian "meddling" in the 2016 presidential election, nor of Trump "collusion" with Russia, to win the presidency.  As Trump asked at a rally in West Virginia following the convictions, "Where's the collusion?"   

From the beginning of Donald Trump's 2016 election campaign, there was no doubt he would face fierce opposition from the Democratic Party, whose nominee Hillary Clinton raised questions about her opponent's mental stability.  For example, at a campaign rally on June 2, 2016, in San Diego, she taunted him for expressing a willingness to cooperate with Russian President Putin: "I'll leave it to the psychiatrists to explain his affection for tyrants," she quipped.