First, President Trump told Pelosi and Schumer that he’d be proud to take the blame for a shutdown; then, a day later, Trump said he didn’t want a shutdown; next, zigging, Trump said it was going to be a long shutdown; then, zagging, he said he didn’t want a long shutdown.

At a glance President Trump’s four statements sound like contradictions but, instead, were they simply Trump negotiating tactics – moves Trump was making to squeeze Pelosi and Schumer to get money to build his wall? Or did Trump contradict himself four times without knowing it?

Who can tell?

But it does make you long for the days when the words politician and zig-zag weren’t synonymous.