A few thoughts about the Republicans who want to be President:

— The enthusiasm for Ben Carson, as predicted, is falling. The more he talks (when you can hear him), the less qualified he seems to hold the highest office in the land. He is, I presume, a decent man, but he is over his head in this race, and that fact is becoming increasingly obvious. Night-night, Ben.

— A writer for the Washington Post smartly leveraged the words and style of Donald Trump throughout his bigoted, rabble-rousing campaign and found a close parallel: with the words and style of the late Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. The Italian was a fascist; Trump is doing all he can to evoke that kind of political opportunism.

— Ted Cruz has seen his polling numbers going up a bit. But it seems he’s having some problems, according to The New York Times: namely, he’s finding it difficult to convince people he’s a nice guy. Apparently Ted comes off as a prick, no matter how much he tries to disguise it. This will come as no surprise to his senatorial colleagues, who tired of him two years ago.

— It’s still astonishing to watch the campaign of Jeb Bush disintegrate. And who could have predicted that a year ago? All it took was for Jeb to hit the campaign trail to allow everyone to discover that he seems not fit for the job. Heck, he doesn’t seem fit for the debates.

— Why is Rick Santorum still in the race? Ego? Idiocy? Hoping for a book contract?

— Lindsay Graham is way too hawkish and lacking in domestic policy chops to interest me. But I like his sense of humor and his occasional whiff of non-partisanship. And I give him credit for the best line of the campaign so far when, after Trump’s call for banning Muslims in the U.S., Graham replied, “Tell Donald Trump to go to hell.”

— Donald Trump got one thing right: Carly Fiorina is a loser. And was.

— At this point in the campaign — which is to say before most people are aware there’s even a campaign ahead — it’s hard to believe there is a Republican candidate who can be elected President. The leaders are too far right to win a majority of American voters in the general election, and honestly, there’s not a one of them at this moment who shows any presidential qualities. Sad. And sort of unbelievable.