Trump - Entrance or Egress?

P.T. Barnum wasn't always separating “suckers” from their silver. He also had a political career.

Barnum served a couple of terms in the Connecticut Legislature as a Republican during the 1860s, and made an unsuccessful run for Congress. He also was mayor of Bridgeport, Conn., for a year in the mid 1870s. And by all accounts, Barnum did a fine job.

It's no surprise that a larger-than-life showman like Barnum would be drawn to politics, where a well-known name, healthy ego and charisma are valuable commodities. Politics and celebrity remain intertwined in our day. It's not hard to find evidence.

Like a big jet parked in Des Moines Monday with “TRUMP” on its fuselage.

“The country really needs him, more than ever before,” said Michael Cohen, executive vice president and special counsel to real estate tycoon Donald Trump. Cohen co-founded the website “shouldtrumprun.com” and jetted in to gauge interest in a Trump presidential run among Iowa Republican leaders.

It's easy to laugh this off. Trump has dabbled in presidential politics before, and his trial balloon is rising just as his “Celebrity Apprentice” TV show starts its new season. “Every crowd has a silver lining,” Barnum said. And there's certainly promotional value in thsi sort of toe-dipping.

Can you imagine “The Donald” sizing up the Big Boar at the State Fair, clutching a corn dog? If Steve Forbes can do it, I guess Trump probably can.

But it may be no laughing matter. Trump sounds serious. For instance, he told The Des Moines Register last week that he opposes same-sex marriage, passing his first Iowa GOP purity test while also drawing considerable outrage back in his New York City home base. Still, it didn't sound like he'd given the issue much thought.

And that's the problem with a Trump candidacy. He's rich and famous, but does he have a vision for the country? He told the Register he'd set countries straight, such as South Korea and Saudi Arabia, who benefit from U.S. military protection. “And nobody pays us. We're like the stupid drunkard that doesn't know what they are doing. So I will start with the fact that all of these countries that are sucking billions of dollars out of our lungs will not be doing that a week after I get into office,” Trump said. Yeah, he's going to need to sharpen that.

Cohen's website prominently features Trump's climate change stance. “It's cold outside, so where's the global warming?” Profound.

He plans to decide by June. Until then, we'll be looking for signs of his intentions.

“This way to the great caucus,” perhaps.

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