There was Dr. Phil, droning on and on about how the former president* was not a bully. There was Rudy Giuliani, half out of his mind, shouting about how the Democratic ticket was "in with the terrorists," before perhaps going backstage to ask Robert Kennedy Jr. if he could crash on his couch for a few days. There was Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House of Representatives, talking about the Republican respect for the rule of law while, later, the candidate himself talked about how he and Johnson "had a little secret" that he would tell us about after the election. This could be pure bluff, or it could be the opening round in a Republican attempt to ratf*ck the certification process. In either case, the former president* put Johnson on the hook for good.