The Week

■ Elizabeth Dole is, at the moment, the leading candidate for the Republican nomination to the Senate seat now held by Jesse Helms. She is well known and well liked—even a bit of a star—and she is thought to be the Republicans’ best shot. But her presidential campaign was a debacle. When she was not avoiding issues, she was tacking left on them. She said that Republicans should stop talking about abortion because it drew attention away from “urgent issues” such as domestic violence. Her position on guns was confused: She called for a ban on weapons that had in fact been in place for almost seven decades, while taking swipes at conservative “special-interest groups” that allegedly stood in the way. Her campaign didn’t make it past 1999. Mrs. Dole may very well fare better this time and win the Senate race. She would be a conservative senator only if Republican primary voters in North Carolina forced her to be one.

■ After Gary Condit’s interview with Connie Chung, House minority leader Richard Gephardt called his performance “disturbing,” “wrong,” and “evasive.” Since Condit was no more evasive with Chung than he had been for the previous four months, Gephardt had to be responding to Condit’s style. How could future liars manage their crises better? They must show emotion (Condit had the warmth of a WANTED poster). They should admit their affairs (all together now: “Everybody does it…”). Their wives must stick with them (cf., Hillary Clinton: “That is not going to be proven true”). So must black people (isn’t there one black cleric in Modesto who could have offered spiritual counseling?). Above all, they must not murder their lovers. The central question of the Condit affair, however, is not what his interview tells us about him, but what should be done. There is reason to suspect Condit of foul play. Chandra Levy vanished, leaving her wallet behind; Condit’s other lovers have said that he required them to meet him without ID. Condit had motive: Levy was involved with him, and his stay-at-home wife was coming to Washington. Condit has behaved guiltily, stonewalling long after concealment of the affair could have been a motive. Hypothesis: Condit summoned Levy to meet him; she met her Maker instead. Grand juries have taken up cases with much less to go on. A federal grand jury should be convened to examine Gary Condit under oath.

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■ Elizabeth Dole is, at the moment, the leading candidate for the Republican nomination to the Senate seat now held by Jesse Helms. She is well known and well liked—even a bit of a star—and she is thought to be the Republicans’ best shot. But her presidential campaign was a debacle. When she was not avoiding issues, she was tacking left on them. She said that Republicans should stop talking about abortion because it drew attention away from “urgent issues” such as domestic violence. Her position on guns was confused: She called for a ban on weapons that had in fact been in place for almost seven decades, while taking swipes at conservative “special-interest groups” that allegedly stood in the way. Her campaign didn’t make it past 1999. Mrs. Dole may very well fare better this time and win the Senate race. She would be a conservative senator only if Republican primary voters in North Carolina forced her to be one.

■ After Gary Condit’s interview with Connie Chung, House minority leader Richard Gephardt called his performance “disturbing,” “wrong,” and “evasive.” Since Condit was no more evasive with Chung than he had been for the previous four months, Gephardt had to be responding to Condit’s style. How could future liars manage their crises better? They must show emotion (Condit had the warmth of a WANTED poster). They should admit their affairs (all together now: “Everybody does it…”). Their wives must stick with them (cf., Hillary Clinton: “That is not going to be proven true”). So must black people (isn’t there one black cleric in Modesto who could have offered spiritual counseling?). Above all, they must not murder their lovers. The central question of the Condit affair, however, is not what his interview tells us about him, but what should be done. There is reason to suspect Condit of foul play. Chandra Levy vanished, leaving her wallet behind; Condit’s other lovers have said that he required them to meet him without ID. Condit had motive: Levy was involved with him, and his stay-at-home wife was coming to Washington. Condit has behaved guiltily, stonewalling long after concealment of the affair could have been a motive. Hypothesis: Condit summoned Levy to meet him; she met her Maker instead. Grand juries have taken up cases with much less to go on. A federal grand jury should be convened to examine Gary Condit under oath.