Why aren't colons optional?

[Edward K. Ream]

> Why are colons required after def, elif, else, except, finally, for, if,
> try and while?  One would think the colon would be optional when the
> colon is followed by a newline.

Thanks to all who replied.  To summarize the responses:  This is not a
parser issue; apparently Guido believes colons increase readability. 
Also, making trailing colons optional would impact many tools.

I am unconvinced, and I'm not going to press the issue.  A workaround
for me may be to have Leo's auto-indenter increase indentation after
colons; missing trailing colons would then be more readily apparent as I
type.

Edward
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Edward K. Ream   email:  edream at tds.net
Leo: Literate Editor with Outlines
Leo: http://personalpages.tds.net/~edream/front.html
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