What questions should the media be asking about Condit–and Chandra? The Internet is buzzing with conspiracy theories. I will share one, and then reprint questions that John Nichols raises in the Nation that he wished had been asked of the Congressman America now loves to hate.

First here is Larrry Chin from Online Journal. Wild, somehow fitting for the “dog days of August.”

“if one looks back at the reporting of this story from the moment it brokenational headlines, you will note how little if any of the following aspectsof the Levy case were given the glaring headlines they merited:

1. That Levy worked for the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

2. That in her work, she was privy to classified information of globalsignificance.

3. That her disappearance coincided with the Timothy McVeigh case andexecution.

4. That Levy was responsible for coordinating media attendance for theMcVeigh execution.

5. That Condit was a member of the House Permanent Subcommittee onIntelligence.

6. That Levy was friendly with members of the Bush administration, includingKarl Rove.

The suggestion that the FBI and police are “baffled” is quite ridiculous.”

My question: Does any of this make sense?

Now, here are the queries from Madison, Wisconsin’s favorite son John Nichols in the Nation:

U.S. Rep. Gary Condit, D-Calif., is finally breaking his silence — with interviews already conducted or scheduled by People magazine, ABC-TV’s Connie Chung and selected California newspapers. The journalists Condit has agreed to talk with will need to ask Condit tough questions. There is just no avoiding the fact that America has not heard from the congressman for months, and he has some answering to do.

But journalists interviewing Condit face a challenge: How can they approach delicate subject matter in a way that will elicit frank responses?

To help journalists conduct interviews that get to the heart of the matter, The Beat has produced a list of questions to be asked of the man who may very well be the highest profile member of the current Congress.

To wit:

1.) When Congress returns to Washington after Labor Day, it is expected that one of the first orders of business will be a proposal to give President Bush “fast-track” authority to negotiate a sweeping Free Trade Agreement of the Americas. Like many members of Congress, you have expressed concerns about handing the president so broad a charge to define U.S. trade policy. How will you vote on the “fast-track” proposal, and what are the unique perspectives you bring to the debate as a representative from a farm district?

2.) U.S. Reps. Martin Meehan, D-Mass., and Chris Shays, R-Conn., are close to gathering a sufficient number of signatures to force a floor vote on their version of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill. You have generally run low-budget campaigns in your California district, and you have supported versions of Shays-Meehan in the past. Will you do so again? Do you think this bill does enough to clean up the corruption of the political process by special-interest campaign contributors?

3.) Congress is preparing to write a new farm bill. The current “Freedom-to-Farm Act” - nicknamed “Freedom-to-Fail” - has been devastating for family farmers across the United States. As a representative from a district with many family farming operations, how would you like to see the farm bill rewritten? Will it be possible to construct a bill that directs federal assistance to family farms, as opposed to corporate agribusiness interests?

4.) You have been referred to as “George W. Bush’s favorite Democrat.” He considered you for a Cabinet appointment, and you have supported many of his initiatives. Yet, with the slowing of the economy, the Bush tax cut now threatens the stability of Medicare and other vital federal programs. Should Bush and Congress revisit the tax cut issue, with an eye toward adopting a more fiscally responsible approach?

5.) Do you think that the intense media focus on your personal life has cheated America out of necessary information regarding critical policy issues facing Congress? Don’t you think that the lack of attention by the media to these policy debates has allowed powerful special interests to capitalize upon the neglect of serious issues to manipulate the process in the absence of public scrutiny?

Please add your questions by clicking on RESPOND