Good riddance

ALTHOUGH it was as predictable as this morning's sunrise, it's now official: Donald Trump will not be a GOP candidate for president. Though there was nary a chance he would become a serious contender (let alone win), let's face it: Trump's brief rise to political prominence was only possible thanks to the press and its insistence on keeping the Obama birther nonsense alive. In the end, the president played his own trump cards by releasing his long-form birth certificate (which shut off the story's oxygen), and deftly turning Trump into a laughingstock. But the fact remains that Trump debased our political discourse, embarrassed America with his attacks on Obama, insulted African Americans and (as Jonathan Capeheart noted) "played Republican primary voters for fools." And all of it, I'm sorry to say, was abetted by a ethically rudderless media. As for The Donald's political departure: Good riddance.