Chuck Todd asked tonight when Democrats will do the right thing, the adult thing, the responsible thing and surrender.

The president today surprised everybody by taking declaration of a national security emergency at the border off the table, just when it looked more and more like not only would he do it, but the congress would be relieved when he did it.

Sources say advisers convinced the Duce he would lose a whole bunch of court battles about using money earmarked by congress for other purposes, and perhaps even about whether it is totally up to the president to say, without judicial review or any other check or balance, whether or not there is really an emergency, as well as just what exactly he is lawfully and constitutionally able to do about it if there is one.

Of course, he did not say a word about any of that, instead insisting he has the power to do exactly what he said he would likely do, declare a national security emergency on the border and use the military, with money from God knows where, to build his wall.

But he's not going to do it.

And he's still not going to reopen the government without wall money.

That left no discernible way forward, apparently, in the mind of Chuck Todd, but one.

Todd tonight suggested that since the president is a blockhead and his party will not budge in its support for him and for an apparently limitless shutdown, and since the Democrats are the only responsible adults in the room, it's up to the Democrats to give Bozo some wall money.

Enough wall money so he can crow for the next two years that he owned the Democrats.

The Democrats need to take the bullet to save the country from the totally unyielding hostage taker in the White House and his equally unyielding Republican enablers in the congress.

They need to let the bully, the political terrorist, the hostage taker and his whole hostage-taking and terrorist party have their way because Bozo just won't stop and his party of enablers just won't stop him by, say, joining the Democrats in passing suitable money legislation - sans wall money - in sufficient numbers in both houses to override a presidential veto and reopen the government.

He just doesn't care how much harm he does, and if Republicans care at all they don't care enough.

So the Democrats have to let him win.

And claim a victory so signal it will greatly enhance his chances, and the chances of all other Republicans, in 2020.

While the surrender of the Democrats guts utterly the willingness of Democratic voters and sympathizers to work super hard for their party and their leaders in 2020.

That is the solution to the question how to deal with the political terrorist in the White House and his party of political terrorists, according to Chuck Todd.