By JOHN KANELIS / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

If there are any major villains among the cast of U.S. Senate Republicans willing to acquit Donald John Trump on charges that he incited that hideous riot on Jan. 6, they likely are Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Josh Hawley of Missouri.

Think about this little bit of political dynamism, if you will.

Both of these men seem to care little about the Senate. They both want to be president of the United States. Cruz ran for the big office in 2016, only to lose to the guy he called a “sniveling coward,” a “narcissist the likes of which we haven’t seen,” a “pathological liar” and an “amoral” individual. Hawley also appears to have his eyes on the prize beyond the Senate.

So, here’s the quandary they face. How do they vote to acquit someone and, therefore, enable him to possibly enter the 2024 presidential race having been freed of the charges leveled against him by the House impeachment? Trump might be seen in some circles as a major obstacle to anyone among the GOP ranks of pretenders seeking to ascend to the presidency.

Why not, then, vote to convict and lobby your other colleagues to do the same? Keep the Trump monster caged up by voting to ban him from ever seeking federal public office again.

Oh, wait! I almost forgot something. Doing all of that would anger the Trumpkin Corps of voters who remain loyal to the former Insurrectionist in Chief.

Whatever. I am one American voter/patriot who believes Donald Trump’s future as a political candidate is, shall we say … toast! No matter what the Senate decides at the end of this trial.