Now that the US is finding its groove following the USSR, we have a sort of methodological problem: How can we do our own version of kremlinology? Where do we look to see who’s in or out? How do we listen for subtle signals of changing dogma? The NYT is an obvious choice. No one knows exactly how the ~paper has managed to be so exquisitely sensitive to modulations in the consensus; various flavors of media theory try to explain that kind of phenomenon, but they’re too tedious and diffuse. I don’t know. But, to my ear, this article smells like some wise-men consensus is inching toward flatly, openly stating that Trump is losing it, as in, suffered a serious mental breakdown.
(NYT)