THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING: Thank you, Gary Condit, for suing Vanity Fair writer Dominick Dunne for defamation. You may read the complaint here.
Now let's suppose everything Condit is claiming is true: that Dunne "has attained a high level of credibility with the American public" (par. 8); that Condit was not under police suspicion for Levy's murder, which may have been tied to a Middle Eastern Embassy sex ring (par. 20) or Condit's motorcycle friends (par. 25); that Dunne said such things in front of people people like Gore Vidal, Anjelica Houston and fashion designer Adolfo (various); and that Condit "had no involvement whatsoever in the disappearance and murder of Ms. Levy and has no knowledge of how she was abducted and murdered" (par. 34 -- but who said she was abducted, necessarily?)
Suppose all that is true, and that as a result Condit has suffered "stress, emotional distress, mental pain and suffering and adverse physical consequences" (par. 42); "public hatred, contempt and ridicule" (par. 43); and a "permanent" impairment of his ability to obtain or hold a job (par. 44). It still begs the question: why sue?
Isn't Condit aware that truth is a defense to a defamation claim, and that in order to establish that defense, he has now given Dunne (and his attorneys) free reign to conduct such discovery in order to demonstrate said defense? That, at the very least, Condit is going to be subject to a very nasty, personal, intense deposition?
It's the rare few who exit the public stage with a minimum of griping at those who did them wrong. Bill Weld and Pete Wilson come to mind as honorable men who accepted their defeats and disappeared. Then there's the Richard Nixon level -- yes, I'm going away, but don't think for a second I'm not angry about it.
And then there's the last level, with Jim Trafficant and Bud Dwyer, who have (and in Dwyer's case, quite literally) chosen to go down with guns blazing, no matter the consequences or wisdom, in massive displays of ego, self-pity and remorselessness. It's on that level where Gary Condit now resides. Congratulations.
This added note: Yes, you can find the Dwyer video on the web. A simple Google search will suffice. I was home from school that day and saw the press conference live, and have no interest in seeing it again. Probably the worst thing I'll ever see.
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