• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, February 29, 2024

When I started a clock nearly a month ago counting down the days, hours, minutes and seconds to the close of the polls on Election Day, I didn't expect the Supreme Court to help run it out, but that is what the news dominating the past 24 hours of the campaign news cycle have deduced from the court's decision to hear Donald J. Trump's claim of absolute immunity.

Much of the coverage has focused on speculation about how long the court will drag its feet, and whether its ruling would enable enough time for the United States vs. Donald J. Trump to complete a trial on whether the twice-impeached insurrectionist is guilty of trying to overthrow the government before the next presidential election.

My suggestion: We should begin the trial as soon as our Justice Department can, whether or not it can be completed by the election, because:

A) The delays were caused by Trump, and based on his historic modus operandi, he'll never stop.

B) Due process cuts both ways.

C) We the people have a right to hear the evidence before we head to the ballots, even if it's incomplete and a final verdict isn't rendered.

And I'll throw in a D) -- Even if Trump somehow gets elected, there still will be plenty of time for the trial to come to a verdict before he would be inaugurated. And if need be, he could start his new term as dictator behind bars.

Heck, I'll start a new countdown clock for that timeframe too.

Meanwhile, somewhere up in heaven -- er, I mean somewhere far below -- Trump's zen master Roy Cohn will be smiling up at him.

While the SCOTUS news is dominating the news cycle, Republican Leader Mitch McConnell's surprise decision to step down, as well as speculation on who will succeed him, has been a close runner-up.