THE DERAILMENT THAT RERAILED THE TRUMP TRAIN.

Two years ago today, a bearing burned off a car of a Norfolk Southern freight train in East Palestine, Ohio.  Our focus at the time was on the things that ran off the rails, and yet, we couldn't avoid the election follies.

There is emerging bipartisan agreement that transportation secretary Pete "What, me worry?" Buttigieg is out of his depth.  From the left come calls for, predictably, more administrative state rulemaking.  "Progressives are demanding that U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg improve rail safety regulations in response to the unfolding public health disaster in East Palestine, Ohio—the site of a recent fiery train crash and subsequent 'controlled release' of toxic fumes that critics say was entirely avoidable."  From the right comes slagging on the secretary for seeming to worry more about the multicultural makeup of construction workers than noting the crumbled infrastructure.  (Never mind that the railroads maintain the freight mains out of their own funds.)  In some cases, there is agreement across political lines, with Erin Brockovich being quoted in that Common Dreams roundup, and also appearing with Geraldo Rivera on Fox News Channel's morning report.

By the time the National Transportation Safety Board issued its preliminary findings, it's possible the derailment had already become a campaign photo opportunity.  "The political types, predictably, continue to exploit the situation.  'But few people here trust the authorities.'  Representatives of the Jarrett regency have stayed away, while its noisiest critics show up."  Newly elected Ohio senator J.D. Vance looked in on his constituents.  He's now the vice-president of these United States.  Donald Trump stopped in, with a trailer load of water and other staple supplies.  Did he stand first responders to McDonald's while he was there?  He's again the president of these United States.

Two years into the Jarrett regency came a freight train derailment and the senile figurehead figured sending an underling to do for safety vests what Michael Dukakis did for tanker helmets would be gesture enough.  Oops.  "The drive between Butler, Pennsylvania, and the Ohio village of East Palestine is less than 42 miles long. In between are the villages and boroughs of Lyndora, Connoquenessing and Evans City on the Pennsylvania side before you cross the state line directly into the village of East Palestine."

Donald Trump was still in the wilderness, but it's possible that when he showed up there, with a trailer load of supplies and a tab at McDonald's, it got him back to the White House.

One reporter got it right.