Lack of facts never slows Trump down

It's the lowest form of political smear: Attacking your opponent for being slow in responding to your latest far-fetched charge.

Offering no actual evidence of wrongdoing. Proposing no plausible mechanism for the supposed malfeasance. Presenting no proof of anything. Simply asserting something wacky -- then erupting in outrage when the chosen target is pokey in answering back.

You've been Trumped again.

"Why did it take him three years to produce the document?" said Donald Trump, who spent three weeks thundering over Barack Obama's birth certificate. "Either it doesn't exist -- or there is something on there he doesn't want us to see."

Then, the president's people put it out for all to see. So was Trump chagrined to learn his claims and innuendo were baseless? Not at all. He turned his muttering onto the document's veracity and gave himself high-fives for provoking the paper drop. Then he scampered on quickly into fresh innuendo territory, now questioning the president's college grades.

As he goes about his TV-ratings ploy masquerading as a presidential campaign, Trump keeps insisting he wants to talk about issues. Then he keeps returning to these rantings from the murky-conspiracy zone. They won't get him to the White House. But they've undeniably propelled him past the potential candidates in the possible early Republican field.

He's found his audience. Actual evidence is beside the point.

He can hardly turn back now.

TRUMPED

1. Donald goes ballistic on Jerry Seinfeld.

2. Donald asserts Robert De Niro is "not the brightest bulb on the planet."

3. Donald says Karl Rove "has a loser issue."

4. Donald claims "our leaders are stupid, they are stupid people."

5. Donald launches Vegas F-bomb tirade.

ASKED AND UNANSWERED: Did someone just get married? Oh, good . . . "Whatcha in for?" How will Southampton's first plastic-bag convict explain his 14-day sentence to his cellmates . . . Does tiny Kings Point really need 44 security cameras at 19 entrances of the three-square-mile village? What does that come to? Four cameras for every jaywalker? . . . Will LIRR trains stop again at Belmont? Bet on it, now that NYRA's ponying up . . . If anyone had predicted the new Sonic boom on Deer Park Avenue in North Babylon, would '50s-style drive-ins have ever gone out of style? . . . When Tom DiNapoli says LI's economy grew more slowly than that of the rest of state, does that include those barren northern regions where the only jobs are toll taker and prison guard? Uggh.

LONG ISLANDER OF THE WEEK: COMMITTEE TO SAVE ST. PAUL'S

In a solid vote for preservation, the people of Garden City recommended that the 128-year-old architectural gem that had been St. Paul's School not be demolished. Clearly, turning such a grand structure into rubble would have been a terrible loss. But saving St. Paul's -- and figuring out what to do with the building and grounds -- are two different things. There's talk of a community center. That would be nice. There's talk of a multi-million-dollar renovation price tag. That would be scary. But the hard work of protect must now give way to harder work of revival. Good jobs, folks. Get busy now.

Email ellis@henican.com.

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