It will be a miracle if American democracy survives this election

The American republic is in decline before our eyes. The principles on which it is based - that votes should be respected, that the law should be applied equally, that no one is greater than the Constitution - are changing one by one.

Both Donald Trump's conviction and the response to it show a country where two parties start with their desired outcome and then reason backwards. The process is subordinate to the outcome - an attitude that is ultimately incompatible with liberal democracy.

I'll get to the flaws in the lawsuit in a moment. But first let me ask ...