>>That's a military man speaking.
>>One of the first things we learned after our swearing in was that you don't salute the man- you salute the rank.

That used to be true of the citizenry, not just the military. Apart from anything else, POTUS can't provide leadership or comfort after disaster if s/he is successfully reduced to a bogeyman rather than commander in chief. Defiance by the likes of Comey is contagious too, as is the habitual scorn now mirrored even by international allies like Ardern and Frederiksen. The damage may not be recoverable, already- and on it goes. Gotta say: POTUS=Bogeyman is bad for the US, and for your kids.

>>It was never true in US politics.
>>The vicious exchanges between Jefferson and Adams make today's engagements look tame.

Who joined in?

>>Andrew Jackson shot political rivals.
>>Let's not forget the civil war.
>>We've had assassinations and failed attempts.
>>One bitter memory was hearing someone who had voted against JFK - on hearing about the assassination - say that he deserved what he got.

But Trump's the disgusting one... because he defended himself from one of those slanderous attacks, just as Jefferson had to so often.

>>Talk radio has been spewing hate since its inception over 50 years ago and I know otherwise normal people who swear by it.

Yes, but there wasn't a Google directing you relentlessly toward one brand of hate, or WAPO or whoever it was this time that once was a voice of balance and reason, now trumpeting that Trump's loans were signed by Russian oligarchs, to perpetuate a vicious hoax. The hate has gone mainstream, and it's ugly.