What Condit repeated was 'I interviewed with..." First he, "interviewed with" the Washington police, repeated twice. Then "I interviewed with" the Justice Department. And finally, "I interviewed with" the FBI. He might have even repeated this more than once during the half-hour interview. No doubt, he can now say he "interviewed with" Connie Chung.

This is not the way normal people talk. Try it. Most people will say "I was interviewed by" or "I was questioned by" or something like that. Interrogated would be the proper word, wouldn't it?

What's the real difference you say? Well, the way Gary put it is almost like he did them a favor, or went to police headquarters to interview policemen. There's a certain arrogance involved. Very possibly, a symptom of megalomania. It certainly seems to imply that he was in control, the boss, the one carrying out the interview. It's just not the way normal people would describe being interrogated.

Also, the need to at least seem in control would fit with what Chandra's aunt said she was told about Condit's personality, would it not? Plus the fact that others describe him as "a sociopath."

And how about the possibility Gary thought she was taking a train back to California. Have any of you looked into what it costs to ride a train across the country nowadays? What kind of money was this intern making? And where's Gary's head? Of course, they both probably had those credit cards you're hearing so much about.

I also found it interesting to hear Condit describe Chandra's desire to work with various secret service bureaus. Something Washington has plenty of. It lends some credence to the idea that maybe, just maybe (let's hope), she set up an effective way to get away from Gary, his wife, and the Washington milieu without going through what Monica put up with and really bringing the hammer down on Condit at the same time. How many friends in the FBI would it take to disappear completely?

So what's the defense, you ask? Why are you headlining this article "In Defense" of Gary Condit?

Well, the defense is that megalomania and being evasive are not uncommon to politicians. Maybe you have to be a sociopath to run for Congress. Who else can claim it's embarrassing to ask for Social Security money, your retirement money, when they don't have any compunction at all about asking for campaign funds? Haven't you read your mail lately? Gary Condit is just another in a long line of 442 beggars, con men, and philanderers. That may be his best defense—Washington made me do it.

And don't you wonder what the city's namesake would think of all this? George, did you cut down that cherry tree? Answer: I am not going to discuss the details of that. I've made mistakes but I've loved cherry trees for 34 years.