"Many Democrats fear that Trump may be laying an impeachment trap," Stephen Collins wrote for CNN last May. "It's possible that the wider political divides get, the more Trump benefits. The spectacle would help him charge up the political base he needs to turn out in droves in 2020 with claims their 2016 votes were being stolen by political elites." Give that man whatever passes for a cigar in this smokeless age.

Any number of metaphors serves to illustrate the unintended effect that the hapless failed impeachment of U.S. President Donald Trump is having on his base of support. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger; the Democrats did just that with an attack that didn't stand a chance of felling its target.

The coronavirus outbreak has me thinking about disease. There's a medical metaphor that I like best: when fighting off an infection it's better not to use any medication than to take a weak antibiotic and risk strengthening what ails you.