July 9, 2001

5:09 PM

Job opportunity: must be willing to...?In light of recent events, would it be appropriate for Rep. Gary Condit to remove this page from his official website? Even if he has nothing to hide, do you think it would be the sensitive thing to do? And what of his future - or does he have one in politics (at any level)?
posted by davidmsc (14 comments total)

Here's something that bothers me because it hasn't been made clear. Unless what I've read is incorrect, Chandra Levy was not an intern for Condit, she was an intern at the Bureau of Prisons. Is everyone just assuming that she was an intern for Condit? He was her Congressman, which is why she went to meet him originally, but she wasn't working in his office. Right? Maybe it doesn't matter since their relationship is considered inappropriate either way and he apparently lied about it, but I feel like people have jumped on the title "intern" and made incorrect assumptions. I read her history in this article: let's see if this link works.
posted by girlhacker at 6:00 PM on July 9, 2001

I believe you are correct, girlhacker.
posted by rebeccablood at 6:24 PM on July 9, 2001

If he needs an intern in his office he should certainly get one regardless of the situation. Why make the people of modesto suffer for his poor decisions?
posted by revbrian at 6:29 PM on July 9, 2001

When did websites suddenly equal reality? I think this has more to do with the overestimation of the web than it does with the situation. I'd hate to see webpages become a priority everytime something happens especially in this PC context.
posted by skallas at 6:47 PM on July 9, 2001

Off the subject a bit, but can we in the U.S. decide to have a moratorium on the use of the word "inappropriate?" How's about dunder-headed, or stupid, or wrong-headed, or wrong, or disgraceful, or just an "affair." Whatever happened to having an affair? It was once a good word for spin purposes. Now, all it gets from me is a laugh. Has it not been on one of Matt Groening's forbidden words lists already?
posted by raysmj at 7:20 PM on July 9, 2001

drain commissioner. damn fine and underrated office.
posted by clavdivs at 7:53 PM on July 9, 2001

girlhacker,

good point. She was an intern, but not an intern of Gary Condit.
posted by brucec at 8:08 PM on July 9, 2001

So if you had (or have) a daughter, would you let her be an intern in Washington? Or would you encourage her?
posted by spilon at 9:08 PM on July 9, 2001

The ironic link on that page was for the "missing and lost children". Granted Levey is not a child, but it is still odd.
posted by vanderwal at 5:17 AM on July 10, 2001

So if you had (or have) a daughter, would you let her be an intern in Washington? Or would you encourage her?

Why not? Though the city is high crime, it's hardly alone in that regard. (I would sweat bullets about a daughter living alone in any apartment complex in the country.) A lot of people have started successful careers in politics by interning in D.C., and it has to be one of the most interesting shit jobs a college student can do.

A college acquaintance went from a Lloyd Bentsen internship to a job as a vice presidential spokesperson and was on a first-name basis with all the Friends of Bill before she was 30. She's now a lawyer there, continuing to make the rest of us from the same graduating class look like pikers.
posted by rcade at 6:31 AM on July 10, 2001

drain commissioner. damn fine and underrated office.

that was the most contested seat in the ottawa county primaries...
posted by dagnyscott at 6:58 AM on July 10, 2001

I live in DC, and have been familiar with this story since early May. (And by the way, Northwest DC is very safe, rcade.)

What peeves me is that early on, the Washington Post titled articles about the missing Chandra as "NW Woman Missing", etc. (NW meaning Northwest area of DC.)

As soon as Condit began to figure in the picture, the articles began to use the term "missing intern" to refer to Ms. Levy.

She is 24, has graduated with a master's, was working a paid internship at the Federal Bureau of Prisons -- not at Condit's office. Although I think Condit is a scumbag, the media is unfairly reporting the story as intern began it makes him seem that much more guilty. Just yesterday I had to write the BBC because they reported that Chandra was his intern (now fixed).
posted by jennak at 7:48 AM on July 10, 2001

Jennak is the Web's truth-in-reporting monitor. Somebody has to do it.

I agree that the area where Ms. Levy was living is very safe. Other than a few random events it is one of the more secure area's in D.C.
posted by vanderwal at 12:41 PM on July 10, 2001

I heard a rumor that Rep. Condit's website is maintained by an intern who, ironically, has turned up missing. Is that true?
posted by barkingmoose at 8:04 AM on July 11, 2001