As for the impeachment farce, I think Trump/Congress are both realizing that the constitution, the country and its citizens are not their private playthings. This is a nation with a heritage to preserve, that elected leaders have a sacred duty and honor to maintain public welfare, and that political disputes should be debated in the public square.
To that end, impeachment isn't just an extra-electoral process freely available to the House to pick & choose when they like. Rather, if the provision is exploited in order to leverage manufactured 'crimes', then in reality it's just another anti-democratic method of election inference. If that's the case, then Trump has both the right and duty to fully utilize his executive powers to force resolution as to its proper use.
Lincoln did in 1861 to force the issue of secession. Trump has long standing precedent in which to consider national security and any existential threat posed to the stability of the country if one branch of government insists on prosecuting war against the other.
I enjoyed your first paragraph.....
There is a photo of 20 yr old Nancy with JFK. She looked like Audrey Hepburn.