Groping for grounds to believe Brett Kavanaugh's accusers, Mike Barnicle has come up with a novel argument. On Monday's Morning Joe, the former Boston Globe columnist said:

BARNICLE: Given how we live today. Given the culture around us. We're all familiar with it, with social media. You would have to be mentally ill to inject yourself into this argument, and to fabricate or lie about these things. You would have to be totally mentally ill. Because you've ruined a large part of your life immediately. You've ruined it.

Ironically, Barnicle's own life story provides possible explanations for the women's behavior. Barnicle was fired from his position at the Globe after evidence emerged that he had "fabricated" a story about a child dying of cancer, and had "lied" about it.

In Barnicle's case, he apparently "fabricated" and "lied" to advance his career. Kavanaugh's accusers could be acting out of hyper-partisanship—aiding the cause of bringing Kavanaugh down. And far from their lives being "ruined," they could anticipate becoming heroines of the left, basking in fame and glory à la Anita Hill.