The British rocker Roger Waters’s insufferable crusade to con musical acts of the first order to boycott Israel and cancel their scheduled Tel Aviv tour stops has held little interest for me over the years. To my mind, the British Invasion could have left him behind. Musically, his concept albums never resonated with me. And then late in his career he espoused an odious politics even more jarring than his music.

Dear Bernie, It’s been far too long. Time passes and brings with it unexpected surprises. I sold my dry goods business and moved to Florida; you are the leading contender for the Democratic nomination in your bid to become our next president.

For an American president who has turned the White House into a Rose Garden-variety reality TV show, with a steady dose of “West Wing” chaos, a special counsel investigation without collusion, and a Senate impeachment trial where Joe Biden and John Bolton became quid pro quos for each other, how did Donald Trump’s “deal of the century” manage to come about in virtual silence and without scandal?