Paul Krugman has been more upset than I’ve ever seen him, and that’s saying something. He’s convinced Trump will be blowing Iran to hell or, to use his words, back to the Stone Age, on Tuesday, via overwhelming attacks on their infrastructure, a war crime that will only further blow the region up while accomplishing nothing. He says:

It’s entirely possible that basically by this time Tuesday, America will have established itself as one of the world’s great villains. I don’t want to be here, but, you know, be warned. This is happening. This is real.

He goes on:

You can get even more pessimistic. Historian Tim Snyder [currently at UToronto, formerly at Yale], has been arguing that we’re basically in preparation for a coup, that somehow or other the war will be a pretense and arguing that this insane expansion of military spending in the latest Trump budget is a bribe to the military.

Krugman notes Trump’s use of the phrase “Glory be to God” as an indication that he’s gone off the rails into some Hegsethian Christian reverie. Trump later also classlessly jeered “Praise to Allah.”

The order to commit war crimes should be disobeyed by the military, of course, but many people of principle have been purged from the military and chances are good the orders will be obeyed.

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I had some fun today with three of the answers from the puzzle: NOMAD (“Land rover”); DIEGO (along with SAN, clued via the popular zoo); and ARMLET (“Article of jewelry worn around the biceps”). Here’s what I came up with:

DIEGO: The choices given to me when I overstayed my welcome.

NOMAD: The answer you do not want to the question Are you happy?

ARMLET: Along with Omelet, the names considered by Shakespeare for his play before settling on Hamlet.

At 12A, the clue was “Second first lady, after Martha,” and the answer was ABIGAIL. But isn’t the second first lady after Martha the third first lady? Abigail is the first first lady after Martha. I guess that comma in the clue is doing some heavy lifting.

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The ‘Rines pounded the crap out of ‘Zona last night. There is one more hill to climb, as the saying goes: UCONN. Lendeborg only played 15 min on a bum ankle. They can win with him out or hobbled, but I sure hope they don’t have to. Go Blue!

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Did you feel the planet shudder a little? They did over in Ireland. Dolores Keane, the “soul of Ireland,” passed away in Western Ireland at the age of 72 on the eve of St. Patrick’s Day. Linda and I spent a week over there two years ago, starting out in Galway. A country wholly devoted to music and Guinness that owns the color green. In the limo to the airport for our trip home I said to the driver “back to our miserable lives,” and he loved it. Said he’d be stealing it. Our lives aren’t miserable, of course, but you could do worse than live in that beautiful land.

Clay Risen, in the NYT obit wrote: Keane was beloved in her country in part because she was so quintessentially of the place: Her glittering wit, warm personality and lilting burr of an accent all marked her as a child of County Galway.

She is survived by two brothers, two children, two grandchildren, and all of her native Irishfolk, who cherished every note she offered. Rest in peace, Dolores.

‘Tis all the heaven I ask of God
upon my dying day
My soul to soar forever more
above you, Galway Bay

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I’m going to drastically alter the way I cook pasta. Yeah, you heard me. I just read a piece by a hot-shot chef from the Barilla company who explained that pasta used to be of poor quality, so it would get starchy and clump up after cooking if not rinsed. But the finer wheat that is used today does not require rinsing. And the small amount of starch that does form adds to the taste and makes sauces cling better. I’m sold. And here’s George’s pretty cousin Estelle. She’s not complaining.

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See you tomorrow, Chatterheads. We’ll be heading up to Costco. I made a list! Thanks for dropping in.