'The Donald' as Mr Prez? Disturbing

AMERICAN POLITICS - how it is run, how you get elected and so on - remains a mystery to most living in "little ol' Noo Zealand". But it is a given that every presidential election campaign throws up its fair share of theatre.

And before we get to the race for the White House itself, it is the circus about the two parties selecting their candidate that is front and centre.

Hillary Clinton is front-runner for the Democrats, but the Republican selection is a more interesting affair - much of that sparked by a loud-mouthed, moneyed entrepreneur with a hair-do that needs to be lacquered in place.

Donald Trump has never been one to hide his light. He has made a name as a property developer and reality TV host, and more recently has been buying up golf courses all over the planet.

It is hard to figure Trump. He comes across as all mouth and trousers, but then unleashes his ugly side. In his bid to attract support for the Republican nomination he has accused Mexicans of being rapists and murderers and wants to build a wall between the US and Mexico.

He then rails against the war record of Senator John McCain, a pilot in the Vietnam war who was shot down and held as a prisoner of war by the North Vietnamese for five long, debilitating years. That McCain survived was a miracle.

But in Trump's eyes, McCain cannot be considered a war hero because he was a prisoner, and shouldn't have been captured in the first place. This bizarre argument comes from a man who was given five deferments, meaning he didn't have to serve in the military during the Vietnam conflict.

Trump's rants are as appalling as they are disturbing from a man who wants to lead the most powerful nation on Earth. If his outbursts are a guide to his reasoning, then we should be concerned.

Remember, he is still leading in the Republican polls.