Jim Gibbons says he's not much of a drinker, but he continues to suffer from a nasty hangover after a recent incident outside the McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant.

I don't know what happened, or even if anything unseemly took place on Oct. 13 between Gibbons and local cocktail waitress Chrissy Mazzeo after drinks and conversation with four other people in the bar of the restaurant. But I do know Gibbons missed an ideal opportunity to clear the cobwebs Thursday afternoon when he called a news conference in an attempt to put an end to the matter.

Instead of answering a few questions, Gibbons defended himself by reading a prepared statement with his grinning wife, Dawn Gibbons, at his side.

"Once again I want to make it perfectly clear: I did nothing wrong last Friday night," Gibbons began. "I did not act inappropriately with anyone. I'm a happily married man, a father, a grandfather. My reputation means everything to me. Not for selfish reasons, but because I constantly strive to make my family proud."

He then gave a Reader's Digest version of how he attempted to help Mazzeo find her car, caught her when she tripped, and innocently parted company. Her story differed mightily from his, but she also withdrew her battery complaint.

On Thursday, Gibbons stepped back and let local bulldog attorney Don Campbell defend him by reading the highlights from three affidavits taken from women who drank with the congressman and his political adviser Sig Rogich that night. (I thought you weren't supposed to get into trouble with your spin doctor by your side.)

The affidavits are compelling -- even Mazzeo's girlfriend Pennie Puhek swore nothing inappropriate occurred while the six adults sipped cocktails and waited out a Friday night rainstorm -- but I wanted to hear something the public rarely gets from Gibbons: unscripted answers to simple questions.

The pertinent question isn't how Gibbons comported himself in the bar, but what might have occurred after the group went its separate ways. No one seems to have seen anything; Mazzeo changed her mind after alleging battery.

He swears he comported himself as "an officer and a gentleman."

"My actions that night were consistent with that practice," said Gibbons, who apparently has never heard the term "Tailhook."

Gibbons doesn't lose points with me for taking a drink. But unlike him, I've spent too many hours in bars. I once logged so much time at the Tap House people assumed it was my office. I know from experience my IQ rises with every drink. After sufficient lubrication, I'm smarter than Einstein and funnier than Seinfeld. And I've earned every hangover I've ever had.

Then again, I'm not running for governor with three weeks until Election Day in a world where every move has the potential to be news.

Although recent surveys have made his race against Democrat Dina Titus much closer, Gibbons was said to have an 11-point lead even after the story broke a week ago in the Review-Journal.

If I were Titus, I'd eschew the "Keep Grope Alive" and "I survived a date with Jim Gibbons" T-shirts for something many readers are wondering: Why did he agree to escort a drunken woman to her vehicle?

Gibbons could have answered that on Thursday. Instead, it hangs in the air like a storm cloud.

What about the time lapse between the breakup of the impromptu cocktail mixer and the trek across the parking lot?

While we're asking questions, why did Gibbons appear to offer the woman an apology during his statement to police if he had nothing to apologize for?

Perhaps his stammering answers to Metro's questions were merely signs of his astonishment.

Many questions might have been answered had he stepped up to the microphone and leveled with reporters. Instead, the press got grins and bromides from the man who would be governor.

"While the stakes of this campaign are high, my good name is more important than any elected office," Gibbons said.

Hey, that's not an easy statement for a veteran of Congress to make.

A few days ago, I wouldn't have bet Jim Gibbons' bell-ringing headache would last until Election Day, but now I'm not so sure.

John L. Smith's column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. E-mail him at Smith@reviewjournal.com or call 383-0295.