American civilization is apparently on its way to smoldering ruin because of 3 to 5 million fraudulent voters, terrorists in Bowling Green, and the threat of Syrian toddlers.

But that thing about the Russians compromising the integrity of a presidential election is a mere trifle.

Here's how we know: One month after three federal agencies issued a report that Vladimir Putin turned the 2016 election into a hacking party, there has been only one cursory hearing by the Senate Armed Services Committee. Congress is still chasing its tail and President Trump is delighted by the spectacle, as he continues to discredit the CIA and launch bouquets at Moscow.

The intelligence committees in both houses move at a snail's pace, two other Senate subcommittees are just getting started, and the House Oversight committee - the Jason Chaffetz vehicle that is as useful as a bag of yard waste - is mired in internal dissent.

The solution is to establish a bipartisan, independent commission. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell rejects the idea on the premise that existing committees are adequate, but he's wrong: The circumstances call for a special panel led by professionals in cyber-security, intelligence, elections, and foreign policy - with subpoena power.

Atlantic editor David Frum suggests Michael Chertoff and Madeleine Albright as co-chairs, which sounds like an excellent start, but its integrity must derive from the kind of non-partisan leadership Tom Kean gave the 9/11 Commission.

To be clear: No one has ever said the hacking changed any vote tally, and not even classified information indicates that Americans were aware that it was happening.

The point is to learn how Putin hijacked our democracy, and the fact that Trump himself doesn't call for a thorough probe is troubling - and self-defeating, since it might help remove the cloud hovering over his presidency.

He put it there himself, and it goes beyond his cloying cordiality toward a kleptocrat:

Trump invited Russia to hack Hillary Clinton's emails, after it had already hacked her campaign manager, two party organizations, and two state election systems.

He won't reveal his tax records, which would explain how much his real estate empire relies on Russian money.

He was the only candidate to propose a new relationship with Russia while also rethinking America's commitment to NATO and its defense of the Baltic States.

He hired the U.S. chapter of the Putin's fan club, including campaign chief Paul Manafort, National Security Adviser Mike Flynn, and State Secretary Rex Tillerson.

He has shown more trust in Putin and Julian Assange than he does in our intelligence agencies, whom he compared to Nazis.

He had three advisors (Carter Page, Roger Stone, and Manafort) now under FBI investigation for their links to Russian officials.

He was uncritical of Russia's war crimes in Syria, and silent on Russia's latest bombing of Ukraine, even as UN Ambassador Nikki Haley has condemned it.

He picks fights with allies such as Australia and Mexico, yet excuses every atrocity on Putin's resume.

He would rather disparage the integrity of our election system by fantasizing about 3-5 million phantom votes than acknowledge the interference of an adversarial government.

And he rationalizes how Putin's opponents often end up dead with this jaw-dropping stab at moral equivalency: "What, ya think our country is so innocent?"

But this isn't about Trump. It is about his suggestion that "we ought to get on with our lives" because "the whole age of computer has made it where nobody knows exactly what is going on."

Even if he is not Putin's useful idiot, such naivete is alarming. Americans know that this is our greatest security breach since 9/11, yet their president's response is to criticize intelligence agencies for exposing Russia's tampering.

It is the textbook definition of betrayal: The only man who doesn't care that foreign interference makes a mockery of our democracy is the man we have entrusted to lead it.

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