Imagine if Brett Kavanaugh had said the following.....

Imagine if Brett Kavanaugh had said the following when Christina Ford's allegations came to light:

"When I was in high school, I did a lot of really stupid things, typically involving drinking alcohol. I have no recollection of doing anything like what Dr. Ford describes, but I cannot categorically say it did not happen. The drinking was that bad -- as my friend Mark Judge wrote in his book. If I did abuse Dr. Ford while drunk at the age of 17, I apologize profusely.

"What I can categorically say is that I matured a lot after high school, learned to drink responsibly, and was able to put my immaturity in the past. I believe that my life as an adult demonstrates that I have acted responsibly in all aspects of my adult life. I stress to my daughters and the other girls I coach that young people should not drink;their bodies are too-often ill-equipped to keep the alcohol from impairing their judgment.

"And if I had sons, I would stress to them that they should never make the mistakes I made as a teenager."

If he had said it when the story first broke, I might have believed him. But now, having issued categorical denials over the past days, I for one, would not believe his sincerity. The Trumpian strategy of Deny, Deny, Deny appears to be contagious. We must do everything we can to keep the contagion from spreading.