The New York Times's Peter Baker wrote, “No longer daunted by a president with a Twitter account that he uses like a Gatling gun, members of his own party made clear that they were increasingly willing to stand against him on issues like healthcare and Russia.”

Gatling gun? I had to reconnect with Julia Keller, a Pulitzer-winning former Chicago Tribune stalwart and author of “Mr. Gatling's terrible marvel: The gun that changed everything and the misunderstood genius who invented it.” (Amazon)

“In my catalog of the cultural significance of Richard Jordan Gatling's great invention, I've seen the Gatling gun used as a metaphor in everything from Gilmore Girls (Lorelei and Rory and their 'Gatling Gun dialogue') to Green Acres ('someone knitted a vest for Arnold the pig, and included 'a little pocket for his Gat.')”

“It's an apt and nifty metaphor for President Trump's tweeting — a Gatling Gun is fast, efficient and leaves a lot of destruction in its wake. And once you get the hang of it, you can do it with your eyes closed.”

The right movie analogy for Trump

Have you seen the film version of David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross, about a bunch of desperate real estate salesmen? It includes Blake, a character written for the movie and played by Alec Baldwin with nasty gusto as he berates the likes of Shelley Levene (played with brilliant melancholy by Jack Lemmon in the movie).

Well, Kevin Williamson is right on the mark in The National Review about the movie version's relevance to Anthony Scaramucci's "cartoon tough-guy act."

As he writes, “Scaramucci’s star didn’t fade when he gave that batty and profane interview in which he reimagined Steve Bannon as a kind of autoerotic yogi. That’s Scaramucci’s best impersonation of the sort of man the president of these United States, God help us, aspires to be.”

“But he isn’t that guy. He isn’t Blake. He’s poor sad old Shelley Levene, who cannot close the deal, who spends his nights whining about the unfairness of it all.”

“So, listen up, team Trump: 'Put that coffee down. Coffee is for closers only.' Got that?”

If you've not seen the Baldwin monologue in the movie, it's a classic, so take a look.

Teen Vogue’s unsparing critique

There have been no hotter topics than John McCain and Anthony Scaramucci. There have been no more tough-minded analyses than in Teen Vogue.

That's right. Yes, there are reams of reporting and punditry in Politico, National Review, The Washington Post or Rachel Maddow, among other venues. But Teen Vogue has been very sharp.

As the press, present company included, lavished praise on McCain after his dramatic return to the Senate last week, the magazine offered five "problematic things John McCain has done during his 40-year career in politics."

The bill of particulars included, "McCain voted against the creation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day," "McCain has been quoted using a racial slur in reference to Vietnamese people" and "In 2013, McCain made a racist joke about Iran's former president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad."