Have you got a third?

Bret: If Washington had known someone like Trump would have become president of the United States of America, he might have been powerfully tempted to surrender to Cornwallis at Yorktown.

That being said, I do have a third point! I fear impeachment will lose much of its moral stigma and political force if it ends up coming down to a party-line vote. But that’s pretty much what’s most likely to happen if it comes to a vote, unless there’s some new damning disclosure. And impeachment in the House will definitely not lead to conviction in the Senate, unless shrimps whistle, pigs fly and at least 20 Republicans vote with the Democrats to obtain a two-thirds majority.

Gail: The House should do what the House should do, and let those Senators from swing states answer for it next year. Four?

Bret: Well, and here’s my main point: Impeachment will wind up helping Trump. Many Americans will wonder why a lawfully elected president should be removed from office for no violation of the law. They’ll say it was just a matter of Trump being Trump. They’ll ask why Nancy Pelosi didn’t wait for a transcript of the phone call or testimony from key officials before beginning the impeachment process. They’ll wonder how that process will do to help them in their life. And some of them, including some swing voters, may come to see Trump as a victim of elite liberals and “deep state” agents who, they’ll say, are motivated more by their hatred for Trump than for their concern for the country.

All that being said, I’m not at all sure I’m right about any of this. Too many friends whose opinions I deeply respect are on your side of the argument. So if I can add a fifth point, it’s that I’m persuadable. I suspect plenty of others might be, too.

Gail: Five kinda works for me, too. But if I’m Pelosi, I cannot see just sitting back and letting this all slide. Let the House do its work. Investigations will continue. God knows what new discoveries they’ll make. Just keep the pressure on.

Bret: One question that obviously needs answering is what motivated Trump to delay the $400 million or so in aid to Ukraine before that phone call. Arguably, that’s a violation of the 1974 presidential impoundment act, though Trump eventually relented to congressional pressure and released the money. And I’d like to know how Rudy Giuliani became our shadow secretary of state, which is kind of like letting Chris Farley from Saturday Night Live play the understudy to Slim Pickens in “Dr. Strangelove” (rest both their souls).