If you're following the news, you know that articles of impeachment for Donald Trump have been drawn up by the House and submitted to the Senate. And the impeachment trial has started. We have no idea where this will take us.

Also if you've been following the news, you know that the articles are specious in the extreme. They involve hearsay and innuendo about events any president would likely be involved in. None of them are criminal, and none are examples of abuse of presidential power.

And yet the democrats have persisted on this course, knowing that their charges contain no more than air. Politically, this seems a risky course for a party suffering as the democrats are. This is a clear indication that what is going on here is not a search for justice, but a political calculation. In some way, the democrats believe that this will enhance their election chances in 2020. By the estimates of some, this is not only an attempt to torpedo Trump's 2020 election plans, but to garner support against republican candidates across the country. Thus possibly tipping the population in congress and the states toward democrats.

It's been said, and rightly so, that the democrats are attempting to undo an election they lost. And it certainly appears that way.

I recently watched a set of videos from Bill Still, made in the 1990s, about the impeachment of Bill Clinton. I didn't particularly follow that impeachment for two reasons. It was clear from the outset that Clinton was fantastically corrupt. And I considered it likely that congress had no stomach for going the whole nine yards and removing Clinton from office. Therefore, I sort of observed the impeachment process as an only mildly interested spectator. However, this set of videos detailed the numerous crimes of Clinton, his wife, and those in his administration. The depth and extent of those crimes was stunning.

The number of potential charges which could have been brought against Clinton was staggering. Yet only two relatively minor charges were ever brought forth, those having to do with Clinton's sexual misconduct. And he was acquitted of those, in a mostly party line vote.

It always puzzled me why Clinton was let off with a slap on the wrist. Until someone recently suggested the following: Had Clinton been removed, Al Gore would have become president. And it was possible he could have served another eight years, years in which the republicans would have been out of power.

And finally it clicked. Yes, the Clintons, knowing where all the bodies were buried, could have ruined the careers of numerous Washington politicians. And this could have been a reason not to go after him, hammer and tongs. But the Gore angle made perfect sense. If Clinton was a disaster, Gore would have been worse. And being out of power for potentially 16 years would have been intolerable for the republicans.

All of this gives a more cynical look at Washington politics and justice. A president who should have been removed, but wasn't, based on political calculations. An innocent president (Trump) prosecuted solely for political reasons and gain. Suddenly, the corruption of Washington politics appears in high relief.

At present, according to numerous surveys, our faith in and opinion of our elected leaders is at a nadir. This shouldn't be a big surprise, given the above, and other recent events.

As a side note, Trump has objectively done more for our country than any other recent president, going back possibly to Reagan. And yet, the democrats want him out of office. Which tells you most assuredly that their motives as a group have nothing to do with the success of this country, and everything to do with their individual and group power.

Welcome to politics.