The Ford-Kavanaugh Hearing Will Be an Ugly Piece of Theater
(Optional Musical Accompaniment To This Post)
WASHINGTON-Omen-wise, the squall line that blew in over the National Mall at the end of business on Wednesday was a pretty good one. If you stood in front of the Capitol, you could see the sky purple and darken from all points of the compass. Then there was a blast from the general direction of the Washington Monument and everybody ran for cover.
(Personally, I think it was old George revenging himself on his 44th successor, who'd bad-mouthed him in front of the god and the world earlier that afternoon. I could be wrong about that.)
To help the country prepare for this morning's masquerade ball in the Dirksen building, the Republican staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee later helpfully leaked its brains out between 10 and midnight. The most spectacular bit of misdirection was the sudden appearance of two anonymous men who allegedly told the committee staff that they might have been the person who sexually assaulted Dr. Christine Blasey Ford back in 1982. Thus did the committee staff double down on the doppelg?nger theory of the case that had worked out so well for Ed Whelan last week.
Of course, these two confessed criminals were not named and, as far as anyone knows, will not be in the hearing room on Thursday morning when Dr. Ford and Brett Kavanaugh meet in the mother of all kabuki exercises. To help you get ready, here are Judge Kavanaugh's prepared remarks, released on Wednesday.
Dr. Ford’s allegation dates back more than 36 years, to a party that she says occurred during our time in high school. I spent most of my time in high school focused on academics, sports, church, and service. But I was not perfect in those days, just as I am not perfect today. I drank beer with my friends, usually on weekends. Sometimes I had too many. In retrospect, I said and did things in high school that make me cringe now. But that’s not why we are here today. What I’ve been accused of is far more serious than juvenile misbehavior. I never did anything remotely resembling what Dr. Ford describes. The allegation of misconduct is completely inconsistent with the rest of my life. The record of my life, from my days in grade school through the present day, shows that I have always promoted the equality and dignity of women.
Here are Dr. Ford's, also released on Wednesday.
At the same time, my greatest fears have been realized - and the reality has been far worse than what I expected. My family and I have been the target of constant harassment and death threats. I have been called the most vile and hateful names imaginable. These messages, while far fewer than the expressions of support, have been terrifying to receive and have rocked me to my core. People have posted my personal information on the internet. This has resulted in additional emails, calls and threats. My family and I were forced to move out of our home. Since Sept. 16, my family and I have been living in various secure locales, with guards. This past Tuesday evening, my work email account was hacked and messages were sent out supposedly recanting my description of the sexual assault.
Someone very conservative will sit on the Supreme Court when all these mauled and dented trumpets fade.
Who that might be is what Thursday is all about.
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