We All Feel Better Now

Mike Nifong, the Durham (NC) district attorney responsible for falsely indicting four Duke lacrosse players for rape, and making sure they were convicted in the press, has now responded to an inquiry from the North Carolina bar association, which is considering whether he should be disciplined. It's all so clear now:

The lacrosse case arose "during the last few weeks of a hotly-contested Democratic Party primary in which I was seeking to retain my office," he said. "I was not always able to give the case my full attention."

Lawyers have long fallen back on alcoholism to explain everything from missed court dates, to stolen trust funds, to sexual relations with their clients. Ditto movie stars. A public confession to being a booze hound, a month in posh rehab, and it's back to business.

But this excuse should henceforth be referred to simply as a "Nifong." When the electrician fixes that plug, and now your lights go out when you use the garbage disposal, or the school bus driver runs off the road, or your surgeon operates on the wrong kidney, they can just explain, "Sorry! I was not able to give my work my full attention."

From the Raleigh News & Observer.