Craig was entrusted with a special position of responsibility and should be held to a higher level of conduct.
Senator Larry Craig should resign.…
"A sinister cabal of superior writers."
Craig was entrusted with a special position of responsibility and should be held to a higher level of conduct.
Senator Larry Craig should resign.…
Article comments
— go to most recent comments26 - Ray Ellis
It all goes hand in hand, so to speak, Sonny.
27 - Douglas Mays
Oh god, the fallout is ridiculous. I mean, I am glad it is a Republican. They sure have their thong panties in an uproar over this one...They sure don't have any idea what to think or do over this issue.
In a way it is like instant karma for the pathological attacks made by Republicans towards other parties, citizens, etc. The actions of the Republican party seem to be based on the book of bedwetters.
The whole deal is to look at the dude's body of works. Him goofin' off the clock shouldn't really be anything unless he was part of the Michael Vick dogfightin' ring or a crack addict or, or or.....
If he was forcing something, that is another issue, rape. Butt, it wasn't that. Just askin'. How many times here in Seattle do I get asked by a guy (on a bus or something) to maybe come over for some wine, etc...I just roll my eyes and say no. Just like any woman has to say to some agressive male. Only the guys have it easier sayin' no. the queers listen and respect 'no'. Woman have to deal with a higher aggression level from asshole males.
Just think if airport security found buttplugs in his briefcase or something?
What to think? I'll just enjoy the humorous fodder from it all.
best,
DM
28 - Clavos
Exactly, Ray (#26).
And until we start in earnest to weed all the offal out of congress, we'll continue to get the same crappy level of governance we're currently getting and so richly deserve.
Americans have been too complacent (and too forgiving) for too long; it's time to start holding elected officials' (at all levels) feet to the fire.
Accountability now!
29 - Ray Ellis
It gives the Republicans a whole new meaning to "smokin' in the polls."
30 - handyguy
I agree that it's fun to watch 'family values' hypocrites squirm. Most of us commentators on the left have been more inclined to giggle at the absurdity of this than to rise up in outrage.
Republicans have been quicker to call for Craig's resignation, because he is an embarrassment, as was Foley. The legality or illegality of what they did is secondary; it's the political fallout that caused them to be ostracized by their peers.
Of course Mark Foley won't get his seat back, and it's hard to imagine anyone even suggesting this, or suggesting it will actually become a presidential campaign issue. He's dead meat and will remain so. Fairness is irrelevant.
I do have to express my discomfort at the idea of this sort of police sting in a toilet. These kinds of entrapment have been used to harass gays for decades. Bathroom sex may be distasteful; so is this way of discouraging it.
31 - Clavos
Handy,
Leaving aside of his (admittedly inflammatory) rhetoric, I'm interested in what you think of Jim Naugle's proposal to eliminate bathroom sex in Ft. Lauderdale?
He has proposed the acquisition of special (and very costly!) bathroom stalls/toilets which somehow (I'm not sure how) will prevent that activity.
Here's a better description of how they work.
32 - bliffle
If Craig stays he will, no doubt, be a constant figure of fun and japery for democrats. So the reps will throw him to the hounds. It'll be easy.
33 - Dr Dreadful
I don't know about handy, but I can't read it for laughing.
A case not so much of applying a sledgehammer to a nut as a piledriver to a pollen grain.
Paging Rube Goldberg...
34 - Clavos
If Craig stays he will, no doubt, be a constant figure of fun and japery for democrats. So the reps will throw him to the hounds. It'll be easy.
Wouldn't you?
35 - Ray Ellis
I'm listening to the Craig police interview tapes. My question is, who the hell reaches over to the next stall to pick toilet paper off the floor to use? Whatever else, he is one nasty SOB!
36 - chancelucky
Can't the president just pardon the guy? He'd do at least that for Victor Ashe.
I'm very pro-choice when it comes to one's adult sexual identity. If Senator Craig does not wish to be considered gay, that is his right. I don't think the genders of who he actually has sex with matter. Apparently, there are many heterosexual men who have sex with other men. If he were still alive, Roy Cohn would be the first to tell you that.
What somebody does in the privacy of his own airport bathroom stall is completely his business. I just ask that they flush afterwards and leave the stall at least as clean as they found it. This is part of what makes America great and is one of the lessons of freedom that I darely hope we bring to the Middle East. If the surge works, which I'm sure it will, I look forward to the day when straight men in Iraq and Iran can have sex with other men in private stalls in public places without the fear of police intrusion.
Besides, what's this country coming to if there's no presumption of innocence for those who plead guilty?
37 - REMF
One thing that's quite telling is Nalle's defense of the actions of Foley and Craig. Hhmmm, I wonder...
(MCH)
38 - handyguy
One thing that's quite telling is Nalle's defense of the actions of Foley and Craig. Hhmmm, I wonder...
If Dave will permit me, I'll interpret on his behalf: he is taking a contrarian position because the rest of the world is piling on. [And in the case of Foley, correctly pointing out that the young men in question were not minors, and it was all IM chat, with no physical contact or suggestion thereof.]
However, in the case of Craig he shouldn't accuse "the Left" of piling on, when in fact it is the Right doing it. Us lefties are just watching, amused.
39 - Jewels
The man sounds like a complete fool. According to the latest news briefing, he entered the guilty plea because he did not want to miss a flight - funny he had time to 'dally' in the facility long enough to incur such accusations.
I don't care if the man wants to declare he's not gay to every news source he grants face time with - where there's smoke...
40 - Ray Ellis
Please-- let's not use the term "piling on" in this context. (I couldn't resist.)
41 - JustOneMan
Not sure why all the liberals in here are jumping on this guy...
1. All he was doing was the same thing most average homosexuals do on a daily basis - cruise bathrooms for strange sex with other consenting adults. So if you say the gay lifestyle is equal to hetrosexuals isnt he being descriminated against?
2. The some libs in this blog defended clinton who did worse and lied...
I guess this is more proof that liberalism and homosexuality are mental disorders...
JOM
42 - Ray Ellis
I was waiting for this one, JOM. How can you compare Clinton's dalliance with an intern--whom he at least knew-- to seeking anonymous gay sex in a public restroom? Them is apples and oranges, bud.
43 - JustOneMan
Gee Ray...so a married heterosexual man having sex with an employee in a PUBLIC PLACE - THE OVAL OFFICE,lying to the american public on TV and lying under oath is beter than an old queer looking for some action in the John in a public place?
What are you some sort of homophobe???
Hmmmm...theres a moral compass for you boys and girls!
JOM
44 - Ray Ellis
Craig is also married, and is denying allegations now, after he pled guilty.
This has nothing to do with homophobia--it has to do with hypocrisy. And I guarantee you, Romney comparing this to the Clinton affair will come back to bite him in the ass (no pun intended.)
45 - JustOneMan
What a minute its like Bizarro World...
Craig married to a woman...cruising for penis in public buildings
Bill married to a Dike...crusing for chocha in public buildings
JOM
46 - JustOneMan
Ray...yer still a homophobe!
JOM
47 - Ray Ellis
And you, JOM, are a walking non sequitur.
48 - Dave Nalle
Regarding my earlier comment, from what I had heard at the time Craig was maintaining his innocence.
As I understand it now he signed off on a misdemeanor of disorderly conduct NOT any sexual charge, and he began to protest his innocence then they attempted to escalate the charge on him.
There's a very important difference between disorderly conduct and sexual misconduct.
Dave
49 - JustOneMan
Oh gee "non sequitur" so intellectual....
JOM
50 - Baronius
Who is advising this guy? I wonder if he's really so vain that he thinks he's untouchable. Really, anyone, finish this sentence: "I support Craig, because he demonstrated good judgement when he ______".
51 - JustOneMan
"Reached under the stall and asked if he could
bl-w me."
52 - Dave Nalle
Regarding Handy's explanation in my absence, it's more a case that I've got no patience with anyone who persecutes people based on their sexual behavior. It's none of our business. And I don't care if the people opportunistically exploiting it are Republicans or Democrats. I mentioned leftists because they're the ones I see going after Foley here on this site for the most part.
As a Republican I don't really have a problem with some of our elected officials being gay, but as I wrote in a prior article I think they could avoid a lot of these problems if they got out of the closet. Barney Frank got away with having a gay sex ring run out of his house because he was honest about it. That makes all the difference.
Dave
53 - Clavos
I don't have a problem with them being gay, either, but I DO have a HUGE problem with anyone, R or D, who professes one thing and does the exact opposite, which this guy has done.
Some family values he has, and his constituents elected him in large part for that reason, because he told them that's what he believed in.
It's not just the family values issue; it's any of these guys who tell the people one thing and do another. Unfortunately, most of them are guilty of that these days.
It's time to crack down on these jerks.
54 - Alec
RE: As I understand it now he signed off on a misdemeanor of disorderly conduct NOT any sexual charge, and he began to protest his innocence then they attempted to escalate the charge on him.
No government official anywhere attempted to escalate the charge on him. His plea included a fine and probation. He was done as far as the justice system was concerned.
He protested his innocence when the Idaho newspaper, after getting the information about his arrest and plea, printed its story about his past.
His protestations have been soley so defend his reputation against the accusation that he is gay. I don't have a problem with this. However, no one can claim that there are any other charges hanging over him that are directly related to his original disorderly conduct AND Interference with Privacy charge.
There is a sexual component to the Interference with privacy charge that he also copped to. It's all at the Smoking Gun site, which I referenced earlier.
55 - chancelucky
It's pretty common to plead down to the lesser charge. It's correct to say that the subsequent conviction is not for a "sexual offense", but it's also misleading to claim that.
Craig's disorderly conduct did not consist of playing his car stereo really loud late at night. It was the direct result of doing things that were consistent with the actions of individuals seeking gay sex in a public place.
Al Capone was convicted of evading taxes....it doesn't mean that's the real reason he wound up at Alcatraz. It's fair to say that Capone was a gangster who ordered and probably participated in murders. It's fair to say that Larry Craig was inovlved in a sexual incident in a public place where he reached out to the local police.
56 - Dr Dreadful
JustOne
ManBrainCell has the nerve to write:Ray...yer still a homophobe!
...having a few comments earlier bullshitted about the
thing most average homosexuals do on a daily basis - cruise bathrooms for strange sex with other consenting adults
Strange, none of the gay men I know do that daily, monthly or indeed ever. Of course, I don't follow them about. Nevertheless, there is a voice which seems to be emanating from the region of his ass.
Unless, of course, he speaks from first-hand experience...
57 - JustOneMan
Dread are you talking about the gay men you meet at turnpike rest stops, adult bookstores or in the airport mens room?
The only voice eminating from someones ass is from yours..sounds like a some sort of gerbil dialect...
JOM
58 - Ray Ellis
JOM-- it's time for you to go away now. Do feel free to stop by once you've evolved into a sentient being.
59 - Doug DeLong
Exactly, Doc...
When JOM says that most gays cruise bathrooms for sex everyday, that's a sign that lets you know you can pretty much ignore anything else he has to say.
60 - Alec
re: This has nothing to do with homophobia--it has to do with hypocrisy. And I guarantee you, Romney comparing this to the Clinton affair will come back to bite him in the ass (no pun intended.)
Actually, this may have much more to do with political theater, GOP style, than anything else. Now that the tape of the interview between Craig and the cop has been released, it is all the rage throughout the media and the Internet.
This stuff will likely take up the entire news cycle throughout the Labor Day holiday. It's an easy subject for people to grab onto. Ultimately, though, Craig may likely resign and be replaced by another Republican, one who is more certifiably manly and all family values. And note that Vitter will stay in place because his replacement would be made by a Democratic Party official.
Meanwhile, the Bush Administration has quietly enacted the pilot program to allow Mexican trucks to travel deep within the United States (as opposed to the old 20 - 25 mile commercial zone), ultimately displacing American truckers and decreasing border security. By the time anyone reacts to this more fully, it will be old news, a done deal, business as usual.
Details on this, and the program's quiet listing in the federal register can be found here.
Meanwhile, somewhere down the line, Craig will be thrown a bone for taking one for the team. And Republican true believers will lull themselves to sleep at night, comfortably laboring under the delusion that the party of family values and hard working Americans cares about them, even though the GOP is sticking it to them at every opportunity.
61 - Clavos
"And Republican true believers will lull themselves to sleep at night, comfortably laboring under the delusion that the party of family values and hard working Americans cares about them, even though the GOP is sticking it to them at every opportunity."
Which the Democratic Party would never do...
62 - Irene Wagner
12 and 13 year old boys to old to be taken into the ladies room with their moms when they have to "go" are in airport restrooms every day. That makes those places as much of a target for pedophiles as schools, playgrounds and church youth programs. As long as the undercover cop can be trusted more than one of the top 100 members of the Legislative Branch, sure, he belongs there.
As for Craig, he was too much of a liability for "family values" newcomer Mitt Romney to schlep around in the presidential election, but Idaho is a very, very Red state. Redness covers a multitude of sins in Idaho. Craig'll do fine.
63 - JustOneMan
Funny how this story breaks just in time to hide the hillary chinese money laundering story...hmmm
JOM
64 - Christopher Rose
Gosh, you're right, JOM, it's a conspiracy. Impeach Clinton!
65 - Irene Wagner
In #62, I didn't come right out and say that Craig was guilty. I'll have to admit, though, as an Idahoan who was disgusted when my state was (further) polarized by the proposal of anti-gay legislation, I was seized by the delicious irony of Craig's bust. My tone in #62 reflects that.
People under stress without legal counsel do strange things. (Did Padilla get his finger prints all over an Al-Q' application before his arrest, or during his three year solitary confinement?) One would expect a US Senator to be a little more savvy even under pressure from an intimidating cop--I've read part of the police transcript--but still, Craig is innocent under the law until proven guilty.
66 - Clavos
"Craig'll do fine."
Too bad. The SOB should be drawn and quartered for violating the public's trust.
"Craig is innocent under the law until proven guilty."
Irene, he's done, he already pleaded out. He's not innocent, by his own admission.
All that's left is for you folks in Idaho to demand he resign his sorry ass out of the Senate.
And if you don't, the Republican hierarchy will.
67 - troll
(Alec - *Meanwhile, the Bush Administration has quietly enacted the pilot program to allow Mexican trucks to travel deep within the United States (as opposed to the old 20 - 25 mile commercial zone), ultimately displacing American truckers and decreasing border security. By the time anyone reacts to this more fully, it will be old news, a done deal, business as usual.*
while I appreciate your notion of Craig as distraction your view of the pilot program is myopic imo -
the question is: has the old squabble that led to the suspension of ICC permits to Mexican truckers to operate in the US - reciprocal access to Mexican markets for US truckers - been solved - ?)
68 - Irene Wagner
I sure wouldn't vote for Craig, Clavos, not even if seconds before I had pulled the Republican lever for RON PAUL IN 2008. I made that decision well in advance of the news of his arrest, though.
I wouldn't be a RON PAUL supporter if I made my next step based on what the Republican hierarchy will do. He wouldn't be running, either. Romney marches to their drumbeat, and his announcement distancing himself from the head of his presidential campaign in Idaho was probably made "under orders."
But the next step of the LOCAL Republican hierarchy, in Idaho? I've got a gross of microwave popcorn ordered, and am keeping my eye on the Boise Weekly.
69 - Nancy
Wotth'hell is JOM doing back here? I thought he was banned from BC for being terminally juvenile & potty-mouthed?
70 - troll
Nancy/Jom = X/moonraven
solve for X
71 - Clavos
#70:
Everyone
72 - Nancy
In any event, Clavos, I think, has it most spot-on: there would be less uproar & scorn - by anybody - if the subject had been less judgemental, arrogant, & intolerant himself in the past. About the last thing people will tolerate is a flaming ... hypocrite. They do say your own actions/words come back to bite you, some day, somehow. Kinda like Rush L. getting convicted of drug abuse, after all the trashing of other people's drug problems - yet demanding that HE be treated with consideration & sympathy! For some reason, the right seems more rife with these pharisees than the center or left.
I'm wondering what it is about public restrooms & gays? Surely there are better places to find a date than a public toilet - or are gay males so low in their own self-esteem - or so squalid & promiscuous in their tastes - that sex in a public restroom is just fine with them? I think that's what revolts non-gays the most about gays & gay behavior, even tho probably a preponderance of gay men most likely never do that; & what is the most prevalent image of gays in the minds of the general population: the promiscuity & public in-your-face-ness of their behavior. Frankly I don't like seeing hetero couples pawing, necking, groping, or hanging all over each other in public either. IMO, physical affection stronger than mild behavior is something that belongs at home, not in the public domaine, regardless of who is doing it.
73 - Nancy
Sorry, Troll; I failed algebra. Please interpret? I'm just surprised to see him [JOM] back when last I heard he wuz banned for life for being rowdy or something. So it was just a suspended sentence, then?
74 - Christopher Rose
That's easy, X = Nalle.
75 - Clavos
I wrote "Nalle" first, Chris, but decided that answer didn't really cover it sufficiently.
Hence, my answer of "everyone."