Politico Playbook: “Amid all of the responses to the Atlantic article alleging that President Donald Trump had called American troops ‘suckers’ and ‘losers,’ one thing leaps out: You didn’t see Republican members of Congress leaping to defend the president’s character. Some of this may be the late summer recess talking. But I’m told telephones and the internet still work outside of Washington — and Trump’s closest allies on Capitol Hill did not exactly rally to his defense. Sen. Lindsey (R-S.C.), for one, managed to praise the president for saving the military publication Stars & Stripes, but said nothing directly about the big story White House aides and loyal alumni were scrambling to discredit. Other prominent GOP members ignored the subject altogether.”

“If foreign policy scholars were analyzing the Trump government like they do those of other countries, they’d note all this. They’d comment on how much the president relied on his family members during the Republican National Convention. They’d point to all the defections from former officials, the proliferating Republicans-against-Trump groups, and the Chamber of Commerce’s recent endorsement of 23 House Democrats. They’d talk about a narrowing of the government’s elite base of support. Of course, we also have polls to help us gauge whether Trump will fall to Joe Biden in November — and this race has been remarkably stable, with Biden consistently ahead by 7 or 8 points. The president still looks formidable in key swing states like Pennsylvania, Minnesota and Wisconsin, and much can happen over the next 59 days. We still have the debates in a few weeks. But at the moment, Trump looks pretty wobbly.”