A high stakes game of "he said, she said" detours Kavanaugh confirmation process
And yet, at the same time, Kavanaugh has not done himself any favors with the way he has responded to his name being dragged through the mud. How he reacts now, as a grown man, says more about his character than what he may have done as a teenager. So far, not so good.
The accuser is Christine Blasey Ford, a California psychology professor who says that she recently passed a lie-detector test about the incident and that she told a marriage counselor about it in 2012, though she didn't mention Kavanaugh by name back then.
Why would she? How many people knew who Brett Kavanaugh was in 2012?
There is no upside for Ford. Whether the allegation is true or not, her life will never be the same. Ask Anita Hill.
To all this, Kavanaugh says coolly: It never happened. That's it.
His handlers have also released a letter signed by 65 women who claim that they knew the nominee in high school and he never behaved this way.
The letter is a ridiculous tactic that proves absolutely nothing, by the way, except perhaps that Kavanaugh didn't behave badly with any of those 65 women.
The nominee must do better. If you're innocent, you don't parse your words. You holler! It's time for a Clarence Thomas "high-tech lynching" moment where Kavanaugh goes back before the Senate Judiciary Committee - as he is scheduled to do on Monday, along with Ford - and says that, as the father of two young girls, he is outraged that the opposition would sink this low. This is your name, Judge. Let's hear the holler.
Otherwise, I'll be inclined -- along with what I'm sure will be many other Americans -- to discount what he said and believe what she said.
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Ruben Navarrette's email address is ruben@rubennavarrette.com. His daily podcast, "Navarrette Nation," is available through every podcast app.
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