"If Moore is guilty as charged, then he should slink off and disappear. But give the man his due, and don't pronounce him guilty based on a Washington Post story. After all, how many of their previous stories turned out to be false? Plenty."Brian C. Joondeph "Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore is the latest famous guy to be accused of sexual assault. The Washington Post reported that Moore initiated a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old girl, at a time when Moore was 32 years old.
"Is this a hit piece to derail his candidacy, or is he truly a bad guy? The story will play out over the next few days, making the answer clearer. What's suspicious is the timing.
"With choreography on par with Olympic synchronized swimming or figure skating, members of the GOP establishment are dancing in unison. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers would be jealous.
"Hours after the Washington Post piece went viral, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell joined the dance, calling for Moore to withdraw from the Alabama Senate race "if these allegations are true." No pause. No circumspection. No waiting until the facts are in before rushing to judgment.
"It's reminiscent of President Obama immediately concluding that the Cambridge police acted "stupidly" after the Henry Gates incident or jumping on the "hands up, don't shoot" bandwagon before the facts were known.
"McConnell's dance partner, Senator John McCain, was quick to the microphone, not even considering whether the allegations against Roy Moore were true,saying, "The allegations against Roy Moore are deeply disturbing and disqualifying. He should immediately step aside and allow the people of Alabama to elect a candidate they can be proud of.' " . . .