Impeachment talk in Washington has inflicted a number of casualties as the House Democratic caucus proceeds with its inquiry into whether to impeach Donald Trump.

The presidency has been damaged; Americans’ faith in politics and politicians, too, is wounded.

I am most concerned, though, about the disappearance of serious discussion of the issues that ought to drive the 2020 presidential election.

I admit to being consumed by the impeachment matter. I resisted the idea that the House should impeach the president. I have changed my mind, which I guess I am entitled to do. However, the impeachment wave has swept away much serious talk about and attention to the details of the issues that should concern all Americans.

Climate change, the federal deficit and burgeoning national debt, immigration reform, energy policy, the war on terrorism, our international alliances, infrastructure, farm policy, water conservation … my goodness, they all need our attention.

When are we going to hear the candidates talk about these matters? The 18 men and women running for the Democratic Party presidential nomination have been beating each other up when they aren’t telling us what many of us know already, that Donald Trump is unfit for the presidency.

I know it’s a reach to think that Trump is going to discuss these matters with any degree of intelligence. The Stable Genius has been acting more like an Unstable Imbecile as he thrashes and flails at those who want him impeached and then removed from office.

If the House impeaches the president by Thanksgiving and then the Senate concludes its trial sometime in early 2020, then perhaps we can get to the myriad other issues ought to be front and center.

I make that plea understanding that there’s a decent chance that Donald Trump is going to survive a Senate trial, given the partisan composition of the Republican-controlled body and the GOP’s stubborn resistance to acting on the evidence that is piling up.

If that’s the case, then my hope as an American patriot is that we can devote our attention to the multiple issues that require our politicians to speak to us about how they intend to solve them.

I await with no virtually no hope of it ever happening for the president to engage whoever the Democrats nominate in a serious discussion and debate on those issues.