The US primaries: let's get it over with

IT'S around this time in the presidential campaign season when politicos and reporters start referring to the "presumptive" Republican and Democratic presidential candidates and the speculation turns to the man or woman who would or should occupy the second spot of each party's ticket.

In short, the presidential primaries were supposed to be behind us now, as Democrats and Republicans would be preparing for their presidential nomination conventions. Under normal conditions that would amount to the crowning of their presumptive presidential candidate who then becomes the target for attacks by the other side up to Election Day.

Indeed, following his sweeping electoral victory in the New York Republican Primary and on the eve of Tuesday's primaries in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Connecticut and Maryland, where he is expected to win, real estate magnate Donald Trump controls now 845 delegates of the 1,237 he needs to amass in order to win the no…