11 September—When I received the breaking news yesterday afternoon that Charlie Kirk had been shot from a rooftop at an event in Orem, Utah (a frequent locale in crossword puzzles), my reaction was, “Who’s Charlie Kirk?” When I received the next breaking news, my reaction was, “Who was Charlie Kirk?” My bad, I reckon, for not keeping up with young Trumpublicans. (Or older Trumpublicans, for that matter, because they’re equally obnoxious.)

In eulogizing his late faithful energetic evangelizer, Donald Trump naturally had to remind the world of the miraculously unsuccessful attempt on his own charmed life last summer in Butler, Pennsylvania, in which the less skilled shooter was, coincidentally, also perched on a rooftop.

That naturally brought to mind what would, could, should, or might have happened had the kid in Pennsylvania been a better shot. Just as an intellectual exercise, of course. The shot that winged Trump’s ear was made on 13 July, two days before the start of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

In the event of the presidential candidate’s inability to run (for whatever reason), the vice presidential candidate would normally and naturally be expected to fill the vacancy. And although Trump waited until 15 July, the first day of the convention, to announce his choice of former never Trumper JD Vance (who eschews periods) for his running mate, it must have been known beforehand to Trump’s most faithful and other insiders.

Is it safe, then, to assume that Vance would have been the GOP presidential candidate last year had it not been Trump? Not at all. Because with Trump out of the way (out of the picture, anyway) it’s more than likely that all the Republicans who had lived in mortal terror of the vindictive tyrannical bastard would have grown the scrotal content to regroup, rethink, and revise.

That’s not to say the dynamic, personable Vance wouldn’t have been a successful candidate on his own, especially with the never Trump credential he opportunistically forswore for personal advancement, because that’s what politicians do.

And what other GOP personalities were there who stood a chance against nice old incumbent Joe Biden, who, despite his awful performance in the 27 June debate with Trump, didn’t pass the buck to Kamala Harris until 21 July? (I can think of two, possibly three.)

Then there are the Democrat personalities who could, would, should, or might have run—and won—had Biden done the right thing. But why cry over spilled Geritol . . .