As House Republicans come under unfair and even vicious assault over the next hours and days, how to react? Here's a recommendation: Having had the great good fortune of seeing Cosi fan Tutte at the Met Saturday night, with the great James Levine back in the pit and an all-star cast led by Susanna Phillips as Fiordiligi, I'd advise taking to heart the words of the opera's finale:
TUTTI
Fortunato l'uom che prende
Ogni cosa per buon verso
E tra i casi e le vicende
Da ragion guidar si fa.
Quel che suole altrui far piangere
Fia per lui cagion di riso
E del mondo in mezzo ai turbini
Bella calma troverà.
ALL
Happy is the man who looks
At everything on the right side
And through trials and tribulations
Makes reason his guide.
What makes others weep
Will be for him a cause of mirth
And amid the tempests of this world
He will find sweet calm.
And so, House Republicans, amidst the trials and tribulations and tempests ahead--stay calm and cheerful.