If Dick Cheney gained notoriety as George W Bush’s “Darth Vader”, William Barr, the US attorney general, appeared a worthy successor as Donald Trump’s Lord of the Sith.
Barr played the role of presidential enforcer with apparent relish, whether spinning the Russia investigation in Trump’s favour or defending a harsh crackdown on this summer’s civil unrest.
But even he could not or would not pass the ultimate loyalty test: shredding the US constitution to help his boss steal an election. As Trump’s niece, Mary, puts in the title of her book, it was a case of Too Much and Never Enough.
Trump tweeted on Monday that Barr will resign before Christmas. Barr, for his part, issued a resignation letter that noted election fraud allegations “will continue to be pursued” before going on to lavish praise on Trump’s “historic” record despite resistance that included “frenzied and baseless accusations of collusion with Russia”.
David Axelrod, the former chief strategist for Barack Obama, observed in a Twitter post: “In writing his fawning exit letter, Barr reflected a fundamental understanding of @realDonaldTrump: Like a dog, if you scratch his belly, he is a lot more docile. Just ask Kim Jong-un!”
2020 has been a surreal and horrible year that began in a choke of smoke and ended with a collective sigh of relief as our system of government withstood the challenges of the global pandemic while much of the world buckled.
Around the world the strengths and weaknesses of societies were exposed and the importance of having a functional set of institutions operating in the interests of its citizens was tested in real life.
By any objective measure Australia passed this test, working across partisan divides, following the advice of health experts, taking decisive action to lock down the economy while breaking economic orthodoxies to support those most in need.
For the economy, small business and the average Australian it’s been an absolute shocker.
But there are some shifts here that belie a more upbeat story, particularly the shift from broad disdain in the performance of government and politics to mere diffidence.
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That’s the secondary plotline of 2020. While times have been bad, we have consistently approved of the work of our governments – federal and state – in navigating their way through the mess.
Whereas politics is normally an internal stoush within a closed system, the 2020 political contest has been against external forces and judged on global comparisons.
Incumbents at all levels of government have benefited as Australia emerged as one of the few nations on Earth to have successfully suppressed Covid-19. The prime minister, Scott Morrison, who started the year under fire for being seen to dodge his responsibilities as the nation burned, has embedded his positive standing with the Australian public.