Shame: Whatever transpires in Iran in the coming days, the American president’s obscene warnings about ending a civilization have diminished if not obliterated a once universally respected office and perhaps shattered beyond repair a vision of a country long admired for its dedication to an ideal of decency. Some may excuse this as back-alley bluster or boardroom vulgarity. But previous presidents knew to check their rantings at the door out of deference to basic public decorum. This man and his cohorts, American jihadists of a sort, eschew such restraint and composure, leaving these United States of America in a gutter no washing will later rob of its stink. I am for the first time in more than 50 adult years ashamed to call myself American, a feeling made all the worse knowing a fair number of my compatriots admire this stench because, in their view, truth is by nature vulgar and better brutal bluntness than what they consider political double-talk. Shame on them, shame on America, shame on any sense of First-ness, shame on electing a convicted felon to the White House, a place his arrogance may keep him from leaving in two years’ time so that the only civilization at risk is our own.