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Trafficant won't be able to mount a real challenge from behind prison bars, and if he wins he won't be able to adequately represent his constituents.

He will when his case is overturned on appeal. And if ever there were a case screaming out to be overturned because of judicial abuses during the trial, it is this one. Remember, Judge Wells' husband had major business dealings with the chief prosecution witness of the Traficant case which made it imperative that Judge Wells should have recused herself. Who say? Well, Judge Wells herself since she recused herself in a subsequent case citing EXACTLY this reason because of that very same prosecution witness (John Cafaro).

"He will when his case is overturned on appeal."

Maybe. But that appeal is going to be a slow, slow process. It may take anywhere from a year to three years for him to get another trial. Meanwhile, he's going to be in jail, trying to juggle his constituents and his appeal. And if he decides to go be his own lawyer again, he's going to have very little time to devote to those folks.

I'd like to see him win on appeal, too, but I think we really ought to be realistic, and he should really think about putting his would-be constituents needs above his own by not trying to represent them until he's out of jail.

J