On Friday, February 1, Virginia's Blackface scandal dropped on the Governor's Mansion like a bomb from the sky. On social media the calls for Gov. Ralph Northam to resign erupted so fast it almost seemed some of those expressing their outrage had been poised to pounce. 

To those who demanded Northam's head, immediately, it seemed there was no need to hear the governor's explanation. Then to make matters worse, on Saturday afternoon Gov. Northam awkwardly withdrew an important aspect of his Friday night apology: He claimed he had determined (through a tortured process) that he was not either of the two people in the photo, after all.

It was simultaneously stunning and laughable. To say it strained credulity is an understatement. Looking at photographer Jay Paul's telling photos of the moment, it seemed even the working press was aghast. Afterward, there were more questions than there had been before.

At that point, man oh man, I was sure Northam's goose was cooked. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe a lot of us in Virginia should stop rushing to pronounce our quick-draw final judgments cooked up by Facebook feeding frenzies.

Democrats who seemed so delighted with the prospect of Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax ascending to the governor's position were then sucker-punched by the sexual assault charge that surfaced against Fairfax. Then came Atty. Gen. Mark Herring's admission that he'd worn a blackface costume in his college days. That's when it all began to feel surreal.

Then came the second charge against Fairfax. This time it was rape. Suddenly, it seemed Fairfax might be the first big shot Democratic politician to walk the plank.

Meanwhile, at this point it looks like Northam is determined to try to ride it out. At least he hasn't been charged with a crime. One thing for sure, there's no template, no playbook, to guide him or any of us. So who knows? Crazy as it might sound, once the dust settles maybe we'll be in a better place.

How could that be?

Maybe by then we'll have learned more about the racism that's still festering below the surface. The racism that too many white people conveniently ignore. I know I've thought more about the cruelty of blackface than ever before.

On top of that, we may also have caught a instructive glimpse of what might be wrought by living angry and outraged all the time, with zero tolerance and no sense of proportionality.

Obviously, we need to hear the plain truth from these office holders, ASAP. Let's see what additional background information emerges and let's see how each of them handles his own fitness crisis.