Sounding like a professional politician, he dodged almost every one of Wallace’s questions. And when he did give an answer, he stumbled around almost incoherently. He was struggling so badly that I felt genuinely embarrassed for him.

I don’t know whether he’s been thrown off balance by the vicious, untrue attacks on his character or whether it’s simply a matter of campaign fatigue, but he can’t afford another appearance like the one I watched Sunday.

Nevertheless, and ironically, I believe Trump is hurting himself by joining the media pundits in piling on Carson. It makes him look small at a time when he has been starting to look presidential. I still sometimes wonder if he’s really looking for an excuse to drop out of the race.

The whole thing is scary, because, in a worst-case scenario, it’s not beyond the hopelessly stupid GOP to pull an establishment Rubio, Bush, or Christie out of the hat. Don’t laugh, they’ve done it before with such personality giants as Bob Dole, John McCain, and Mitt Romney.

Stay tuned. This is a crazy ride, and it promises to get crazier.