If US Congressman Gary Condit had hopes of reviving his political career with a TV interview, the nation's critics say he should forget about it. If the man were a Broadway show, he would have closed on opening night.
A day after an estimated 23.6 million Americans watched, no one seemed to have anything nice to say about the embattled California Democrat's efforts to explain his relationship with missing intern Ms Chandra Levy in a half-hour interview with ABC's Connie Chung on Thursday.
The most potentially damaging criticism came from House Democratic leader Richard Gephardt, who called his comments "disturbing and wrong" and said they added to the perception that "politicians are a bunch of bums." Mr Gephardt said he would ask his colleagues what action should be taken against Mr Condit.
The congressman's hometown paper, the Modesto Bee, said he should resign. "After months of watching him stall and stonewall, Condit's weasel-like performance on Thursday was terribly disappointing. He had an opportunity to come clean, but instead rolled through the dirt of duplicity some more."
But Mr Condit's lawyer, Mr Abbe Lowell, said the lawmaker was not a "sappy guy" and was therefore being misjudged.
"He doesn't wear his emotions on the sleeve," Mr Lowell said on CNN's " Larry King Live" program. "People interpret that sometimes in America as somebody who doesn't feel, who doesn't care, who doesn't hurt. That's wrong." He added.
In the interview, Mr Condit said he had a very "close" relationship with the 24-year-old who disappeared in April, but refused to say if they had an affair. He also refused to say why he did not tell police about his relationship earlier.
Mr Howard Rosenberg, the Los Angeles Timestelevision critic, said Mr Condit "looked as cold and pasty as an apparition."
ABC said that the interview on "Prime Time Thursday" was the most widely watched news program in two years.
The Baltimore Sun's Mr David Folkenflik wrote, "Millions of Americans tuned in to ABC-TV last night to watch an interview with a beleaguered American politician. Instead, they witnessed a clinic in tap dancing."
Washington Posttelevision critic Mr Tom Shales said, "Only rabid media-haters could have found him sympathetic after watching his carefully controlled, limited, bionic performance with Chung.... Condit was not paid for the interview, but if he had been, Chung should have demanded her money back right there on the air."