“Many years ago there was an Emperor so exceedingly fond of a Great Border Wall that he spent all his money on his Wall. He cared nothing about reviewing his soldiers, going to the theatre, or going for a ride in his carriage, except to show off his Great Border Wall. Instead of saying, as one might, about any other ruler, ‘The King’s in council,’ here they always said. ‘The Emperor’s at his Great Border Wall.’” —With apologies to Hans Christian Andersen

Whether he knows it or not, by declaring a national emergency to build his wall President Donald Trump has doomed the centerpiece of his presidency to an eternity of fights in Congress and the courts.