Start with the premise that the leadership of the Republican Party will not permit President Trump to run again. Otherwise, the party of Abraham Lincoln, battered by this president, will be irreparably damaged. It probably follows that Sen. Mitt Romney will emerge to contest Joe Biden.
Some deal will be struck that dismisses all federal litigation involving Trump in exchange for his going quietly into the night. That Speaker Nancy Pelosi is withholding the articles of impeachment while Sen. Mitch McConnell refuses to discuss terms of the Senate trial suggests the making of a deal is now underway.
JAMES H. HUNT
Concord