I’m scratching my head about this one. I don’t know much about Larry Craig other than that he’s a conservative Republican senator from a rock-ribbed Republican state. It could be that he’s a sterling man of principle (though knowing the current batch of U.S. senators that’s doubtful). But I simply don’t find much of what he’s saying to be credible.
You’re a U.S. senator and plead guilty to a charge of disorderly conduct–after allegedly soliciting sex in a public restroom–without consulting a lawyer? Either the man’s telling the truth and he’s a fool; or he’s lying in which case he’s only going to get himself into deeper doodoo. According to today’s NPR story he also claimed he’d never solicited sex before and that he hadn’t in this particular incident. Personally, I can’t say what’s true. But I’m guessing that Craig is in denial about a lot of things including his sexuality and his sexual behavior. Otherwise, why would he plead guilty which in effect admits he engaged in the behavior?
If he isn’t telling the truth then shortly people will be coming out of the woodwork to refresh his memory. Actually, I just visited the Idaho Stateman site and there already is at least one Republican coming forward to claim he had sex with him in Washington’s Union Station. And other alleged incidents are reported here. That would probably explain the Republican Senate caucus’ immediate announcement that they would investigate the matter. It won’t look good for the Party to have a Senate candidate accused of multiple counts of soliciting gay sex.
I thought this response of Craig’s during a Stateman interview was instructive:
“I’ve been in this business 27 years in the public eye here. I don’t go around anywhere hitting on men, and by God, if I did, I wouldn’t do it in Boise, Idaho! Jiminy!”
Where would you do it? The Minneapolis airport or Union Station?? Don’t you just love that “Jiminy?” I didn’t know that people talked like that anymore.
Another point that just came to mind–isn’t it sad that in this day and age people’s sexuality can be so repressed that they feel compelled to resort to such furtive and humiliating means of sexual expression? Craig certainly is a hypocritical scumbag for being a homophobic bastard in his voting record. But I can’t help feeling both sad and disgusted at the subterranean life he forced himself to lead.
And if Craig is telling the truth, then he’s been mistreated by the media and deserves an apology. We’ll find out soon enough which it is.
Instead of attacking equal rights for gays and lesbians, why don’t these gay Republicans like Craig come out and admit that they are gay? What’s their point in holding public office and doing what they’re doing? One thing’s for sure. With Craig and his ilk, the Republicans lose their claim to be the party of “morals” that in recent years they professed to be.
As you can imagine this has been all over the LGBTIQ Boards. The funny thing is that gay people, who are suspicious of entrapment because we know too well what happens when police run wild, have had more sympathy for Craig and his predicament than most. At the same time, he does seem awfully conversant with the whole ritual of T room sex. Much more than your humble correspondant, who’s been totally out since around 1971, but considers himself bound to his partner not to bring disgrace on the family in this way.
Still, can’t help the giggles everytime I see the Senator claiming not to be gay. Well maybe he’s right, He hasn’t even evolved to the point of being a ‘mo yet.
Golem
“…a rock-ribbed Republican state.”
Predominantly Mormon, which makes a difference.
Zhu Bajie
Ah, that explains all that “Jiminy God” stuff he spouted during the Statesman interview.
Idaho is not a perdominantly mormon state. East Idaho is, but not the rest of the state. That is the reason it looks the way it does. When the state was formed the mormon population was deluted by mining districts in the north and west part of the state. As well as seperating mormon the poplation in western wyoming from eatsern Idaho.
That being said Mormon and nonmormons alike in Idaho do not think gay activies are right. Bathroom sex is just a real pain to everyone who needs to use these bathrooms. And no one likes a lier. (Unless your name is clinton)
There are so many levels of hypocracy on this it’s amazing. According to a recent Neiwart post on Orcinus – reporters have known for 20 some years that Craig was gay and pre-Monica-gate there was an unwritten rule that this was kept out of the press. All the time while Craig and his fellow travellers used gay-bashing to keep themselves elected. The repuglicans had no problem going after The Clenis – but are in horror that their public lives are fair game.
So now we have the spectacle of the Republican party refusing to condemn Vitter for being a customer call girls – but are calling for Craig to resign – all the time while preaching the moral superiority over us….
And you presume that the rest of us who have no problem with “gay activities” think that bathroom sex is OK?
Oh, like there have never been any Republican presidential liars? Isn’t it just like Republicans in the midst of huge scandals both moral & political to try to remind us of Democratic scandals so old as to be gathering dust in the closet (no pun intended in the Craig case)??
Glen Greenwald made a great post on the hypocracy of this. http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/08/28/craig/index.html
I read that post. There was only one thing that bothered me. He kept comparing Vitter and Craig w/o acknowledging there is a major diff. bet. the 2 scandals. Craig was charged and copped a plea. Vitter has neither been charged nor copped a plea. Vitter is doubtless as much a scumbag as Craig. But we do have to acknowledge a diff. in their situations just to be honest.
Zhu Bajie said: “…a rock-ribbed Republican state. Predominantly Mormon, which makes a difference.”
I’m from Idaho. Idaho is about 78% NON-Mormon. Mormons are quite a small minority in Idaho.
But if it were predominantly Mormon, HOW would it make a difference?
Wizard of ID
I think Zhu Bajie was trying to say that being Mormon might predispose you to being more conservative and opposed to homosexuality.