Time for Duke spotlight to shift to Nifong

From the San Diego Union Tribune:

The players' accuser – a troubled young woman with a history of mental health problems – had given wildly conflicting accounts, variously saying she was gang-raped by two, three, four, five or 20 players. No one – including another stripper at the team party the night of March 13 – corroborated her account. Medical records also didn't back her claims.

So how could Nifong prop up her credibility? By having her identify her attackers – in a police lineup made up solely of Duke lacrosse players. As defense lawyers said, this amounted to “a multiple-choice test in which there were no wrong answers.” As it turned out, one of the players the accuser named – Seligmann – had an airtight alibi. But still Nifong proceeded. He simply didn't care.

This isn't just bad judgment. It's a shocking abuse of power. Given his plain motive – Nifong won re-election by depicting himself as the crusader who wouldn't let privileged white kids get away with brutalizing a young black woman – it is also despicable in its raw demagoguery. All this is why we look forward to the Durham DA having his own day in court.