Nothing in Gov. Eric Greitens' Navy SEALs training prepared him for the battlefield he faces today. In the thickening fog of political warfare, he can no longer distinguish friend from foe. His self-inflicted wounds appear to have crippled him. Republicans who previously fought alongside him are abandoning the governor.
Gone is the muscle-flexing showman who captured voters' hearts with macho displays of push-ups, rappelling and machine-gun fire. Greitens has gone into hiding since news broke last week of a 2015 extramarital affair he conducted while preparing to run for governor.
Lying low might be a great survival tactic in actual warfare, but in politics, it can be deadly. If Greitens wants to survive in office, he must stand before the Legislature and answer for his actions. Reporters will not stop asking questions about the scandal. The longer he avoids them, the bigger this public relations disaster will grow.
Greitens apparently thought he could continue to ignore the news media and conduct business as usual after news of the scandal broke last week. He pledged to proceed with a statewide tour to promote a new tax-cut plan.
The tour is now canceled. He has not appeared publicly since his Jan. 10 State of the State address. Until Tuesday, his communications were limited to Facebook postings filtered through his attorney. Critical comments attached below them have been brutal.
He apologized on Tuesday for what he described as a "personal mistake," adding, "Much has now been written about this, and many of the assertions made have not been truthful and have proven extremely hurtful to Sheena, as well as to me. For us, the allegations that go so far beyond the facts have made this much more difficult."
Greitens has not identified which allegations aren't true. His victim asserted in an audio recording that he lured her into his basement, bound her hands to a pair of exercise rings, blindfolded her, partially undressed her, photographed her without her permission and threatened her.
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner is launching a criminal investigation. Additional recordings, made secretly by the victim's then-husband, reportedly are being shared with criminal investigators.
Because Greitens won't be more specific in his denials, he gives his supporters nothing to defend him with. Republican supporters, such as Rep. Nate Walker of Kirksville, are calling for Greitens to step down "so the state can move forward focusing on the issues that we all care about."
Rep. Marsha Haefner, a south St. Louis County Republican, says she believes Greitens is "no longer fit" to be governor.
The situation is likely to worsen. Greitens badly miscalculates if he thinks silence works in his favor. He's often written about warriors who display courage under fire. Now is the time to stand before the cameras and demonstrate some of his own.
