After basically encouraging people to sign his petitions, and offering an
alternative to D.A. Mike Nifong, Lewis
Cheek announced Thursday that he wouldn't run after all.
He did suggest that he would vote for himself, and that if he does win, the
attorney general would have to appoint a new D.A. So for those who would
like to see Nifong take early retirement, the prospect is still there. But
it would be a better prospect if Cheek hadn't strung the voters along so
miserably. He won't run for this office, but if he runs for re-election in
his current position, it'll be interesting to see how his non-campaign affects
his real one.
By the way, here's Mike Nifong's
official site. We link to it primarily so that we
can make fun of this photo. We're sure it's real, but it looks photoshopped,
because the heads seem like the wrong sizes for the bodies, and the arms look
out of proportion. Maybe it's just a trick of the lens, but his supporters
look pretty goofy.
But while the photo is funny, the site deserves to be critiqued, and
this guy does a pretty brilliant job, pointing out that a) the usual
endorsements by outsiders are missing; b) the site offers absolutely no way to
contact the campaign, and c) connecting these absences to the insular way Nifong
has conducted business with regards to the lacrosse investigation and
indictments.
He connects a lot of other dots remarkably well.
In a parallel story, the case at the Naval Academy involving quarterback
Lamar Owens was resolved when Owens was found innocent of rape but guilty of
lesser charges not involving sexual offenses.
This columnist argues that Owens would not receive support from many who have
supported the Duke lacrosse players. He's right. But on the
other hand, bad as what happened to Owens appears to be,he's clear of the more serious charges and his trauma wasn't compounded by a media
firestorm.