The Oz moment for Donald Trump in Monday night’s first presidential debate against Hillary Clinton occurred midway through his idiotic attempt to prove that he was against the Iraq invasion before he was for it.

He continued to maintain, contrary to the spoken record of an interview he did with Howard Stern, that he had opposed the war from its inception.

Suddenly it became obvious that Trump had convinced himself of the truth of the lie, never mind the general public.

Hillary Clinton is the only candidate on stage who voted for the Iraq War. #Debates2016 #MAGA https://t.co/Um5WJXEEKr

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 27, 2016

It also showed how utterly dangerous it would be to have such a fabulist anywhere near the nuclear button in the White House.

Rather like Doctor Strangelove, Trump could convince himself there was an imminent threat when there was none and act accordingly.

Like Slim Pickens riding the nuclear bomb into eternity in that movie, Trump would be more concerned about his braggadocio and macho posturing.

A man who can convince himself a lie he tells every day is the truth is a dangerous man indeed, but it is not just on Iraq that Trump is lying.

Indeed, were he Pinocchio, his nose would stretch from coast to coast by now and he would have collapsed under the weight of his own absurdities.

Amazingly, the media has failed to stop his gallop even though the contradictions in his world view make him potentially one of the most dangerous presidents ever, totally unprepared to assume the most important office in the world.

Finally, in a one on one debate over a lengthy period, the potemkin facade that is Donald Trump became clear to all.

He is a real estate mogul who, as Clinton pointed out, got his start thanks to his father’s money, and subsequently used some very dubious practices including multiple bankruptcies his way to the top, no more no less.

His political skills are akin to having a plumber carry out your heart surgery.  He is utterly unable to carry the nuances of foreign or domestic policy around in his brain.

Instead we have a feral creature, a rough beast slouching towards Bethlehem to be born.

Clinton set him up, but in truth much of the damage was self-inflicted. As a rampant narcissist he could not allow any statement she made that denigrated his self-proclaimed genius to stand.

Trump is not ready for prime time. Indeed he is ready for playing a fearful villain who lies and cheats his way to the top in an afternoon soap opera..

That such a man is coming so close to leading the greatest nation on earth will no doubt have future historians scratching their heads. "What were the voters thinking?" they will ask.

What indeed, but if America does not come to its senses after this first debate then God help us all.

Clinton showed a mastery of the issues on Monday night. Trump came armed with a 20 minute brief for a 90 minute debate.

The idea of this self-absorbed buffoon in the Oval Office is too scary to contemplate. Citizens who are considering a vote for the third party candidates should seriously mull the disastrous implications of a Trump presidency before casting such a vote, which will only help him achieve his goal.

The wizard has been unveiled the curtain has been drawn back thanks to Monday night’s debate, and reality must surely have hit home. Right?

Donald Trump lies all the time — and stunningly few people seem to care. https://t.co/1hsssuxroG #DebateNight

— Vox (@voxdotcom) September 26, 2016

Related: Democrats, Republicans, US Politics