Trump on trial - more than an 'ouch' for the president

SO THIS would be the second impeachment trial of an American president that I am covering for The Business Times - which proves that time does fly in Washington (hey, where did those 20 years go?), but more important, that the system of checks and balances that underlies the constitutional system of the United States is working.

On one level, the impeachment trial of US President Donald Trump that opened on Tuesday this week in the US Senate can be compared to political theatre and - some would argue that in this case - a very boring play.

For the 100 Senators of the 116th Congress who serve as judges and juries in this trial, with US Chief Justice John Roberts presiding over the proceedings, the experience could prove to be quite distressing. They are being forced to watch the proceedings, led by the seven impeachment managers selected by the House of Representatives. This will commence every afternoon in the next weeks, and continue long into the night and even into early morning hours. As they did on Tuesday, when for more than 18 hours senators watched lawyers representing the two sides arguing over the rules of the trial.