Vivian Salama is a print journalist for the Wall Street Journal, but she deserves an award for a photo she took on Tuesday. It's the perfect photo to sum up politics in 2018.



Incredible argument unfolding now in front of the press between trump, Pelosi and Schumer over votes for border security. Pelosi keeps asking not to discuss it in front of the press. pic.twitter.com/pEEnFhuplY — Vivian Salama (@vmsalama) December 11, 2018

Let's start with President Trump. The president is doing what he loves best: playing for the crowd, with the media as his prop in the theater. We know from video of the meeting that presumptive-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was aggravated by the media's attendance. She apparently thought the meeting would take place in private.

[Read: Trump feuds openly with Pelosi, Schumer as border fight explodes in White House]

But what did Pelosi expect? With Trump, anything is possible and in this photo we see her trapped. Pelosi's flailing attempt to control Trump is destined to fail. She is left only to sit while, to borrow from Shakespeare, thinking Trump's prattle to be tedious.

Now enter Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. With a wry grin, Schumer attempts to silence Trump by engaging with Pelosi. But unlike his Democratic colleague, Schumer is enjoying himself. He knows this game for what it is, and knows that Trump has trapped him.

That makes the bust of Winston Churchill between Schumer and Trump so perfect. Britain's World War II leader would have reveled in the jostling theatrics of this moment. From up above, I'm sure that he was laughing with a glass of heavenly brandy. The Secret Service agent next to Churchill stands solemn and hands ready.

Then there's the George Washington lookalike, Vice President Mike Pence. Pence appears to be in a zen-like sleep. Can we blame him? Pence has certainly seen the Trump show before, he's an intimate part of it! His decision to zone out is both intellectually rational and tactically apt: he knows this is not a discussion of value, but rather an act by the boss.

But speaking of Washington, look who is above the two executive branch officials! The first president himself. What would Washington think of this moment?

I suspect he would enjoy it. Yes, Washington would lament the harsh tenor of political dialogue today. But he surely also would take great pride in the fact that, 229 years after he first entered office, the nation's democracy remains vibrant.

For all the antics, the photo attests to that. It shows two different parties from two different branches of government joining together in political discussion. It shows the media in the center of the melee, with their boom mics above the fray.

This is American democracy: the best system of government ever to exist on Earth. Like I said, Salama deserves an award for this most excellent of photos.