John Dean, one of the key figures in Watergate, has had literal nightmares about Trump's presidency.

[spedtr90]

5. Started reading his book "Conservatives Without Conscience" yesterday.

Really wish I'd read it when it was published in 2006. It was a bestseller then. It needs to be again.

I admire him immensely for his courage in speaking out over the years despite the vicious smear campaign against him that started in 1991.

From the book:

...information about the dispositions of right-wing authoritarians. Here are a few examples that provide further perspective. These have not been deliberately isolated as negative characteristics; rather, they are traits that authoritarians believe to be positive.

* They travel in tight circles of like-minded people.

* Their thinking is more likely based on what authorities have told them rather than on their own critical judgment, which results in their beliefs being filled with inconsistencies.

* They harbor numerous double standards and hypocrisies.

* They are hostile toward so many minorities they seem to be equal-opportunity bigots, yet they are generally unaware of their prejudices.

* They see the world as a dangerous place, with society teetering on the brink of self-destruction from evil and violence, and when their fear conflates with their self-righteousness, they appoint themselves guardians of public morality, or God's Designated Hitters.

* They think of themselves as far more moral and upstanding than others-a self-deception aided by their religiosity (many are "born again&quot and their ability to "evaporate guilt" (such as by going to confession).