by John Walters

Note: It’s now Saturday morning and I didn’t want to alienate (even more) people on Twitter with Kavanaugh takes. Bottom line here: Whether or not Kavanaugh is innocent in the Ford case, his behavior and his duplicity during Thursday afternoon’s hearing, for me, disqualifies him from a Supreme Court seat. The real character of the man was exposed, and what we saw was someone who is petty, vindictive and partisan. Even sinister. These are not the qualities we’d want in any judge, much less a Supreme Court justice.

Been thinking about Kerfuffle Kavanaugh a lot the past 24 hours. I’m sure much of it has to do with the fact that he’s a contemporary (one year older) of mine with a similar high school experience: Jesuit all-boys’ prep school, football player, straight-A student.

The similarities pretty much end there [he may be mildly more successful than I am 🙂 ]. But I can picture a plausible scenario at that house that summer. Lifted weights that afternoon, went over to a buddy’s house, and there was plenty of beer and no parents. My guess is someone may have snuck into the liquor cabinet. It takes an awful lot of beer to lose your mind, even at that age, but some hard liquor serves as propellent.

You’re 17. On top of the world. You’re in the best shape, or at least the greatest strength, of your life. You’re giddy. You’re drunk. Then there’s this pretty blonde. She’s probably wearing shorts. She has a nice tan. You’re not even thinking. YOU’RE NOT EVEN THINKING.

You want to show off. Or your buddy does. You’re in football mode. On the spur of the moment you tackle her like she’s an opposing player. Next thing you know the hormones kick in. Your friend can’t believe it, and he’s laughing. His laughter spurs you on. You’ve never even taken a moment to think of her as a person. You’re just too into who you are and how the world is yours for the taking: school, sports, your future…a girl.

The entire incident lasts what, a minute? Somehow she slipped away and you and your buddy were still drunk and giddy and, as you would say to a class of students more than three decades later, “What happens at Georgetown Prep stays at Georgetown Prep.”

And then, 36 years after this alleged incident, one or two minutes in an otherwise highly decorated life, this moment reintroduces itself. And threatens to torpedo your entire career. Your glory. Your reputation. You are shocked. You are furious. All those years of studying. Of climbing the ladder. And you’re going to make THIS TINY indiscretion the defining moment of my life?!?

Hell no!

I don’t empathize with Brett Kavanaugh. I don’t doubt he had other moments of over-imbibing and generally behaving like an ass, even if he did not go as far as Christine Blasey Ford alleged he did in their encounter (though for all we know, he may have gone further on another occasion with another female; we don’t know).

There’ s a certain portion of Republicans who do not believe Ford. Another portion who believe that something happened to her, but that it wasn’t Kavanaugh. There’s still another portion who ask, Who cares? What’s the big deal if he did do it? He didn’t actually rape her.

However they may feel, Brett Kavanaugh has no one but himself to blame. First, for what may have transpired at that gathering that summer afternoon/evening. Second, and this is a person with extensive courtroom experience, because his go-to defense was to deny the verity of the claim as opposed to throwing himself on the mercy of the court (which this writer espoused he do more than one week ago).

Can someone please tell me who did this video, so we can give you every award until the end of time??? #KavanaughVote pic.twitter.com/cqHBhwcXeu

— Amee KavaNOPE Vanderpool (@girlsreallyrule) September 28, 2018

Had Kavanaugh simply—and honestly— said something along the lines of, “It may have happened, but I certainly do not remember it. I don’t recall every time I had beers with my friends in high school and I don’t remember this incident. I don’t remember this woman. But if I did do this, I am profoundly sorry. And I was 17. And I’ve lived a clean life my entire life as an adult. Judge me how you will…”

If Kavanaugh had said that, he may have still been voted on to the Supreme Court. But even if he wasn’t, I can tell you this: he’d still have his reputation. Which is not to excuse what he did, but to place it in the prism of how male teenagers, inebriated ones, are capable of behaving. Not that I condone it, at all, but I understand how all the conditions came together for that to happen.

Brett Kavanaugh, a man whom Donald Trump described the other day as being “a highly intellectual genius,” made a boneheaded tactical maneuver. And it may cost him everything.