I JUST DON’T GET IT, DO I?

Many of you are mystified by my apparent open mind about the guilt or innocence of Gary Condit, and my belief that someone is innocent until there is even one solid piece of evidence that he is guilty. The point that you keep making is that Condit impeded the investigation. Levy’s parents make that statement again today, saying that Condit “came forward only after pressure began to build and the facts of his relationship became public.” It’s public record that Condit offered a $10,000 reward immediately he heard of Levy’s appearance, called the DC cops and tell them to take it seriously and talked to the cops for 45 minutes two days later. The only people we know impeded the investigation are the DC cops. We don’t know what Condit said to them, and the story I cite below suggests he told them in so many words the nature of his relationship with Levy. When the story leaked, Mrs. Levy complained that her daughter’s privacy was being invaded. After Levy’s complaint, Condit’s office pooh-poohed the story. The story has not been retracted by the Washington Post. So what’s the problem? The real inconsistency has come from the Levys, who first didn’t want their daughter’s active sex life made public, then blamed Condit for not making it public himself. As this investigation continued and the DC cops did their usual comic routine, the Levys needed a scapegoat. They found one. The media was willing. The trap was set. The facts be damned. Look: I have no beef for Condit. He seems a slippery worm to me. But slippery worms are exactly the people that good journalists and police should be careful not to smear. They’re the easiest to smear. And the invasion of my own privacy earlier this year is not the reason for my concern. I was just as concerned to defend Clinton’s privacy – until he compounded it with perjury and clear obstruction of justice. The discrepancy between my reaction and most of yours might be better explained by the fact that I haven’t watched any TV for three months. I haven’t been slowly poisoned against a non-suspect by the drip-drip-drip of smear promoted by cable news. Until there’s a shred of credible evidence that Condit lied to the police or has any connection with Levy’s disappearance, he will get the benefit of my doubt. If that’s nuts in today’s media world, then please escort me to the asylum.