FLASHPOINT for Oct 26, 2007

Friday, Oct. 26, 2007 | 7:26 a.m.

It may seem at first glance that Democrats hoping to oust Rep. Jon Porter got a huge break when the Darren Mack trial was moved here from Reno. That gave their candidate of choice, Robert Daskas, a chance to show off his skills every day on television and in the newspaper as he prosecuted Mack, who is accused of murdering his ex-wife and trying to kill a judge. How wonderful for Daskas' name ID. Free media for months in the run-up to the campaign. What could be better? And then, as the trial started, the opening days showed a defendant whose defense was almost other-worldly: The woman tried to shoot me, so I stabbed her to death, then went cuckoo and shot the judge. And that raised another question: What if Daskas loses this unlosable case?

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