As I wrote yesterday, Republican Rep. Dave Reichert will not debate Democratic challenger Suzan DelBene, because, according to his spokesperson, his schedule "had already filled up." But now the Reichert campaign is attempting to walk back their statement, telling the TNT, "We're not ruling out debates."

Okay, I guess, whatever.

No doubt Reichert spokesperson Darren Littell slipped up by appearing so definitive in his previous comments to the TNT. Of course, barring some kind of aggressive, negative push back from the press (and we're sure as hell not gonna see that), Reichert won't debate DelBene. Littell just wasn't supposed to say that.

In fact, Reichert's whole scheduling strategy this campaign season has been to be deliberately vague, never saying "yes," but never saying "no" to debates, interviews, and open public events... only to regretfully cancel at the last minute. Because, you know, he has such a busy schedule.

That's what he's done with requests from newspapers for editorial board interviews, that's what he's done with local community groups and chambers of commerce, and that's what he's doing with DelBene's challenge to debate.

Now, if I were suffering from the neurological damage left from a fist-sized blood clot in my brain, including, possibly, intermittent or permanent cognitive impairment, I might be afraid to engage in public debate too. Especially if I were running for Congress. So it's only reasonable to speculate that walking around with a bleeding brain for two months might have something to do with Reichert's sudden fit of agoraphobia. You know... until he proves otherwise.

Or, of course, another explanation could be that Reichert's brain is perfectly normal (at least, perfectly normal for him), but that he's really just a coward. A craven, yellow-bellied, gutless, fainthearted coward who's afraid to get his ass publicly kicked by a girl.

Again, something Reichert could easily disprove by accepting at least one televised debate, instead of hiding behind his spokesperson like such a... well... (at the risk of offending Slog readers' feminist sensibilities for want of a more fitting word) like such a complete and total pussy.