Mel Gibson said something vile when he was drunk. Now he regrets it. But he also says he didn't believe what he said about Jews at the time. That's ridiculous.
Is Mel a Jew-hater? Of course. He was raised to be one. His father is a Holocaust denier who blames Jews (and Masons) for the Vatican II reformation he reviles, hence the family's "Traditionalist Catholic" religious observance.
Despite offering many criticisms of his film "The Passion of the Christ," the Anti-Defamation League has refused to call Mel anti-semitic.
But the words Mel puked before a cop leave no doubt. The cancer has penetrated to Mel's reptile brain. It's unlikely to be reversed.
Now begins the spin cycle where Mel tries - again - to avoid the heat for what he truly, deeply, believes about Jews.
He began Saturday with a simple denial, a bit too oblique on the anti-semitism issue, but that won't wash for long. He admits saying "things that I do not believe and which are despicable," but he might simply have been denying that he believes he "owns" Malibu, while also admitting that calling a female deputy "sugar tits" is inappropriate. (He said a lot to regret.)
Mel will face growing pressure to more clearly state why what he said about Jews was wrong. (He has an upcoming movie with Disney and, incredibly, plans to produce a miniseries on a family's experiences during the Holocaust.) Any other celebrity facing this great a threat to image and career would find a way to do so, to clear the record definitively.
Here's betting Mel can't do it.
The moment calls for Mel to admit what he said and what he thinks, recant completely and convincingly, and make a big gesture. There are plenty of half-measures in between, but they won't work. If he doesn't make peace here, he'll be an extreme pariah whose life could begin to resemble O.J. Simpson's - reviled, isolated, paranoid.
If he can't really apologize, maybe Mel would do everyone a service by 'fessing up to what he believes and having this debate openly and publicly. Quit the games, the hiding behind lawyerly and indirect defenses. Say it loud and say it proud, Mel, if that's who you really are. Find out who salutes.
The fact is, if Mel tries the contrition route, he'll have a hard time convincing anyone. Real progress would be a donation to the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Still, $10,000 or even $100,000 isn't going to be convincing.
Mel made $400 million with his blame-the-Jews "Passion of the Christ." The film was a surprise big hit in the Arab world, at least in countries that permitted it to be shown. Yasser Arafat praised it.
If the anti-semitic themes were worth just half the box office, Mel's contribution to the Wiesenthal Center should be $200 million.
Of course, if Mel is who he really is, and he's ready to admit it, Hezbollah could use the money right now, too.