As fellow Republicans labored to repeal "Obamacare" this past week, U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly swerved off topic, escalating concerns in his party about his ability to govern the country six months after taking office.
While senators grappled with health care, Trump banned transgender people from the military. He regaled a Boy Scout jamboree with a tale from a New York cocktail party. He indulged an obscene tirade by his flamboyant new communications director.
In the end, the Senate's efforts collapsed in a pre-dawn vote on Friday, magnifying the ineffectiveness that often goes with the chaos around Trump, the constant storm of tweets, the White House infighting, the self-inflicted wounds.