I enjoy the conversations between Ross Douthat and Frank Bruni (my commencement speaker!) in the New York Times opinion section, but today’s on the subject of Brett Kavanaugh contains a strange line. Bruni, responding to Douthat’s suggestion that the FBI investigation might dredge up some useful information about Christine Blasey Ford’s allegation, says this:
But do you not worry, as I do, that this focus on what we may yet learn about 36 years ago and what evidence could still be unearthed distracts from what we learned on Thursday and what evidence we have — about Brett Kavanaugh’s temper, truthfulness and, at this point, epic sense of partisan grievance? He lies, Ross. We now know that. . . . There are a dozen or more details from Thursday and beforehand that show his willingness to massage the facts however necessary to get this court seat that he wants too badly and that he would assume and inhabit with a vengefulness that’s disqualifying.
So all this focus on Ford’s sexual-assault allegation is a distraction from the real issues: Kavanaugh’s “temper,” his “truthfulness,” and his “epic sense of partisan grievance.” For now set aside whether Bruni actually proves the point (Douthat’s response is reasonable, and NRO has an editorial to come on the “He lies” charge) and note that the initial charge has become a springboard for anything that might militate against Kavanaugh’s confirmation. Even if no corroborating evidence surfaces that Kavanaugh committed sexual assault, well, did you see the way he defended himself? This is an instructive shift.