Was telling a neighbor tonight how I've thought about the Kavanaugh situation:
In a criminal trial, a jury finds the defendant either "guilty" or "not guilty" of a crime or crimes. They don't say "This guy is innocent!" Why? Because the accused might very well have committed the crime (think OJ Simpson). But their guilt has to be proven using facts and evidence. If those things are not provided, the accused can't be declared guilty. So "not guilty" might mean nothing more than "No evidence to support the charge". Not "this guy definitely didn't do it".
So I think about the position the swing Senators like Susan Collins and Jeff Flake were in over the weekend. And I frame their decisions to vote yes to Kavanaugh as having found him "Not guilty" of the accusations. Because they had a choice to make, and supporting evidence for the accusations against Kavanaugh hadn't been presented to them. Voting against his nomination would have been a reaction to feelings rather than facts.
I personally feel that Kavanaugh is a giant "I went to Yale" dude bro

who should have been passed over for one of Trump's other Court nominee finalists anyway. But I can still separate that out from my opinion on whether or not his nomination process gave his accusers a fair shake at providing evidence that would have destroyed his chances for sure. They didn't. And the left should acknowledge it.