Stop Digging, Please

Anne Applebaum created a firestorm over her passionate defense of Polanski and her failure to disclose that her husband, a Polish foreign minister, is lobbying for the dismissal of Polanski's case. Defending herself, Applebaum digs deeper:

[T]here were some very legitimate disagreements, including two excellent ones from my colleagues Gene Robinson and Richard Cohen, and I take some of their points. But to them, and to all who imagine that the original incident at the heart of this story was a straightforward and simple criminal case, I recommend reading the transcript of the victim's testimony (here in two parts) -- including her descriptions of the telephone conversation she had with her mother from Polanski's house, asking permission to be photographed in Jack Nicholson's jacuzzi -- and not just the salacious bits.

Those "salacious bits," of course, include giving a 13 year old alcohol and Quaaludes, then sodomizing her to repeated cries of "no." Ed Morrissey is appalled:

Nowhere in this transcript is this “permission” to get photographed in a jacuzzi mention. [...] Applebaum crosses the line into some despicable territory here.  She argues that once someone gets into a jacuzzi, regardless of their protestations and their refusals, that a girl is fair game for a rapist no matter what her age.  No no longer means no if the shameless hussy leads on the poor, victimized male.

Read the transcript for yourself. And while Applebaum places responsibility on the victim and her mother, screenwriter Robert Harris blames the "pornographic relish" of Polanski critics. Massie pounces.