I am not a big or even a little fan of U.S. President Donald Trump. Many of his policies strike me as undesirable, some in the extreme. His background and temperament have not prepared him for the presidency. He is largely ignorant of many issues he must face. And yet, for all this, the idea of impeaching him and removing him from office, which inspires much loose chatter, makes me extraordinarily uneasy.
We Americans take enormous pride in our political system, even while we disparage and distrust our politicians. One hallmark of this veneration is the peaceful transfer of power every four years when we acknowledge and respect the outcome of the presidential election. We assume that the "people have spoken," that the process is sufficiently honest to be accepted and that, therefore, the verdict receives widespread support, even if it isn't to our liking.
Not for us are military coups or — with the one tragic exception — civil wars. Presidents of both parties enjoy the presumption of legitimacy. Americans respect their political system even when it doesn't produce what many thought the country needed. We live to fight another day.