Victim of His Delusions

Poor Gary Condit. Seems that he, not Chandra Levy, is the real victim. That’s the not-so-subtle message that Rep. Condit (D-Ceres) and his aides have been peddling ever since the Washington intern disappeared May 1. Now that his hometown paper, the Modesto Bee, and its sister, the Fresno Bee, have demanded his resignation, Condit has said “it is terribly unfair and disappointing that the Bee would have come to any decision about me without first ... hearing what I have to say.”

Actually, Condit didn’t literally say that. It was in a communique issued by his office. And that’s the problem. Condit himself has never said anything publicly about the investigation or about Chandra Levy. Instead, he has stonewalled. It was Condit who was uncooperative in interviews with the Washington police, maintaining for weeks that he never had a romantic relationship with Levy, wasting the early days when any knowledge about Levy might have provided clues to her disappearance. It was Condit who said he would take a lie detector test--and then took one administered not by the police or the FBI but by his own consultant. And it was Condit who retained some high-powered PR assistance, after which rumors flew about Levy’s sexual history. This merely further discredited Condit.

Like many con artists, Condit is a victim, all right--of his own delusions. His reluctance to go public might have been understandable for a few days, but months later his behavior is all too clear to his family, Levy’s parents and his constituents. Now Condit is making noises about running for reelection. It would be superfluous to ask whether he has any shame.