The Larry Craig mess
Update 5:15pm Eastern. Here’s the full statement on Craig’s site. He’s not just a lying crapweasel.
He’s a supremely arrogant, lying crapweasel. Blaming the press. Non-apology apologizing. How do you spell creep? C-r-a-i-g.
Update 4:30pm Eastern press conference scheduled. Here’s the vid.
Update 1:30pm Eastern 8/28. The poll results so far…
***
Update: The Idaho Statesman has two detailed articles. The first recaps the Minnesota incident. The second is a five-month investigative piece into Craig’s past alleged acts of indecency and solicitation dating back to 1982, when an underage page made allegations that he had had sex with three House members.
ABC News has the docs from the Minnesota incident.
Any takers on a Larry Craig Resignation Date/Time Betting Pool?
***
He plays the “Don’t you know who I am?” game by whipping out his Senate business card. He pleads guilty. Then he blames the police for misunderstanding him and “misconstruing” all his bathroom antics.
Bleccch.
Let me amend my reaction. He’s not just a weasel.
He’s a lying crapweasel.
Should he resign? Well, yeah. If he cared about the dignity of his office, he would. But he obviously doesn’t, does he?
Here’s a poll. Have at it:
***
Here’s the Romney endorsement video Craig made that has been disappeared from the Romney YouTube channel.
See what others have said
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Trackbacks
- JunkYardBlog
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- Liberty Pundit
- Outside The Beltway | OTB
- Free In Idaho! » Blog Archive » Say Goodbye Larry
- The Purple Nation
- SENATOR ARRESTED, IN DISGRACE « Texas Hold ‘Em Blogger
- Self-hating right wing gays at Antony Loewenstein
- politicalpartypoop.com » Blog Archive » The Larry Craig mess: May I touch your feet?
- Neocon News » Just when you thought it was safe to fly...
- Think Progress » Conservatives Begin Calling For Craig To Resign Over ‘Lewd Conduct’ And Guilty Plea
- Minefeed.com
- Sen. Craig: Fiddle Faddle in a non-Fiddling Party
- PAXALLES
- Radio Left
- Jeremayakovka
- Wonkette
- Hot Air » Blog Archive » Open thread: Larry Craig presser at 4:30 p.m. ET; Update: GOP Senate leaders call for ethics probe of Craig; Update: “I am not gay” video added; Update: Press(?) heckles Craig
- Webloggin - Blog Archive » Craig Plays the Victim
- the unequivocal notion
- i-DUH-hoo in ‘da news ~ « On a Quest…
- Spokompton » Blog Archive » Craig Followup
- Hot Air » Blog Archive » Officer acquitted of Abu Ghraib charges
- A Blog For All
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- Dust my Broom
- Sen. Larry Craig: Not Gay, Not Even a Little. « Subject to Complete Defeasance
- Beware the Boy’s Room « Right Ringtail
- Keith Burgess-Jackson » Homosexual “Marriage”
- Conservative Musings
- The Craig Debacle… » Freedom Folks
- Senator pleaded guilty, reportedly after bathroom stall incident - Page 8 - Hardcore Politics
- The Fact About Larry Craig: Larry.. Larry Craig Swears By Mitt.. » My Wired News . net
- First Round | August 29, 2007 : The Shot! @ shotpolitics.com
- It would be hypocritcal for Larry Craig not to resign. Goodbye! « Volunteer Opinion Journal
- Buck Naked Politics
- Smart Remarks » Blog Archive » Demonizing fags = eletoral winner
- Don Surber » Blog Archive » Leaping to denounce Craig
- Senator Larry Craig’s “Intent to Resign:” When An Apology Isn’t An Apology » The Moderate Voice
- Villainous Company
- Craig’s Behavior - Glenn Greenwald « Allpaths
- Rhymes With Right
- Michelle Malkin - Should Senator Larry Craig resign?
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» "Unequivocal"?
Yeah, I don’t think “dignity” is one of Sen. Craig’s primary concerns.
It does clearly demonstrate that we are all made of clay and are fallen creatures. It doesn’t excuse the intent of the act or the act itself. With the high position in government entrusted to a senator or the like, comes great responsibility including giving up the right to selfish or self serving inclinations to serve the country. Apart from the act and attempted coverup, I wonder how the information got leaked and the timing of it all.
What a fool. He needs to get out of the way so that by 2008 the Idaho GOP will have enough temporal distance from him so as to still have a shot at retaining his Senate seat.
And of all the useless things to “learn” about today: tapping your right foot in the stall followed up by some weird attempt to play footsie-wootsie = … oh, never mind.
Wasn’t there a scene like that in “Blazing Saddles”?
And really how many do?
That’s the problem with modern politics, the office holds no dignity anymore.
Did he also flash his American Express card?
Next “trial balloon” explanation: The senator was experiencing a moment of TV nostalgia and thought it would be fun to re-enact the “My Three Sons” opening animation with the person in the next stall.
Be gone with the slog!!
#4 Jim
I don’t think so…
Give the Governor a harumph!
He’s Republican and he’s got to go. The quicker the better.
Were he Democrat the police would be homophobes and we’d give him a committee.
Funny how that works.
Aww hell – you can only vote once!?
Where’s my sock-puppet…
We strongly protest your associating us with a lying politician.
The Crapweasles.
Where are the Democrats rushing to his defense? They condone this type of behavior and feel it should be legalized, sanctioned and protected don’t they?
Although I agree he is a crapweasel, I can’t stop laughing at the fact you called him a crapweasel.
I am going to incorporate “crapweasel” into my daily vocabulary.
it was a misunderstanding i’m sure.
maybe there were intimidating black men in the men’s room and and he was nervous.
http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/article.aspx?s=rss&storyid=60650
First, what the hell is happening to the Republican Party. Total lack of leadership, wimpo Elizabeth Dole running the 2006 senate campaign, and now all this misconduct. Second, I smell Chucky Shumer all over this and the Vitter incident. Chucky is a real scum bag and just loves to dig up all kinds of dirt.
duke taught us not to rush to judgement, so we need to hear him out.
but, on another note, not unlike the soul searching taking place in the catholic church, i wonder if it is time to ask ourselves why it is so many of our conservative men in politics keep getting involved these compromising and often hypocritical situations.
in the last 3 weeks we’ve had–gay rape accusations against the head of the young republicans usa, a prominent baptist minister and state legislator in NC arrested for prostitution, a prominent legislator chasing his secretary around the office naked, and a top gop political consultant murdered in gay love triangle. all of these men were championed by family values organizations. i have no way of understanding this all, but it threatens the future of our movement and i feel that’s what karl rove has been getting at when he has deflected criticism from the 2006 election losses from the war and white house incompetence and to the candidate scandals.
It is the hypocrisy that is killing the Republican party not the being gay. I told people that if he is gay just say it hell there are Log Cabin Republicans however they are not pushing gay marriage or special protections for themselves. Lindsay come out of the closet before you to are outed first.
While I do indeed love “crapweasel”, I had to go with “Hell Yes”.
Thought they ARE all crapweasels… I think there’s a dozen congressmen/women that aren’t worthless.
This isn’t an issue about Democrats or Republicans, it is about the sociopathic nature of homosexual behavior. Perhaps Congress should take some vetting lessons from the Boy Scouts.
swj719AWG
Only a dozen? …
Resign for what? Disorderly conduct and not lewd and lacivious behavior? Don’t you think that pales in comparison to driving off a bridge and leaving a girl to die? Or driving drunk, getting caught and then trying to use a voting procedure to get out of it?
Soliciting for ‘lewd’ conduct is not the same as actually groping. It depends on what your definition of ‘is’ is. After, according to the Dems sexuality is no one else’s business.
Well, news flash: What they do on my dime is my business. I am not paying for them to have ‘relationships’ that violate their marriage vows. I am paying them to represent ME.
Fire them all.
He’s lucky he didn’t get the crap beat out of him. But, then it would be a gay bashing hate crime. These folks on the hill are really disgusting.
So because many/most democrats in congress are worthless piles of shite, we shouldn’t hold out people to any kind of standard?
He was flappin’ Mr Happy around for all to see, and when confronted by police tried to get out of the arrest by showing off his Senator-ness.
What he did was on par (I suppose… I really don’t want to have to rank this stuff) with McKinney. You thought SHE should resign, right?
Look, I’m sick and tired of hearing – from EITHER sdie – “Well, they have done bad things, so what does it matter that we do bad things?”
It isn’t a God Damn deffense. Act right, or get the hell out of office. Let us find someone who isn’t a moral retard to serve.
I just think it is funny.
I loved his explanation about why his foot extended beyond his stall. He said, “I have a wide stance.”
Senator ‘Wide Stance’ from Idaho. LOL.
Isn’t ‘Broke Back Mountain’ in Idaho? LOL.
As for hyprocrisy – this is as hypocritical as any politician saying the government spends too much money, and then slips an earmark into a farm bill for public restrooms along a nature hiking trail.
OK, I’ll stop. It’s a misdemeanor, not a felony. Nothing to see here folks. Just move along. Thank you.
Whatever happens, the people of Idaho should decide. I for one just enjoy the humor in it, and think August is no longer a dull news month.
As the Pool goes, I’m going with Today.
I take comfort in knowing he will not be on the DC madam’s phone list.
Noon Today…
#9 tony
You cut that dialogue short; the lines you were looking for were:
“harumph!”
“you watch your ass…”
zyzzyg
No broke back mountain was supposedly Montana.
I think I will have to vote yes, he has the taint, it isn’t about orientation it is about behavior.
YES. I declare the Over/Under to be 2 weeks.
Since he was already on the toilet, I think it’s time we hit flush. buh-bye.
SWJ:
He was flappin’ Mr Happy around for all to see,
That’s a gross exaggeration of what occurred. Please keep your facts straight. Read the Roll Call piece which contains a description of what happened.
As for the rest, I agree with you – especially your last sentence which should be engraved on placques and stuck on the desk of every elected official in America.
Um, no.
Wow. People wonder how liberal blogs can cherry pick comments to make this site look hateful? A call to ban all gays from Congress? That’s nuts.
As plenty of people have already pointed out, the problem isn’t just lewd behavior, it’s hypocrisy. Voting for the FMA twice and voting against hate-crime protection for gays…running as a social conservative…he misrepresented himself.
The sad part is if he were comfortable being an outed homosexual, he could have a real relationship instead of resorting to anonymous sex in an airport bathroom. Of course, if he were an outed homosexual, he would never get the opportunity to be a legislator in a “family values” state like Idaho.
Talk about your can’t wins.
What’s Steve Duecy have to do with this?
Sen. Craig is gay? He’s not even cute!
What he did is disgusting. There are rational logical gay Republicans who aren’t perverts committing lewd acts.
This will only hurt the GOP and Gov. Romney in 2008.
It’s the hypocrisy. Democrats don’t try to cover up catering to the greed of their campaign financiers by moral posturing to the rank-and-file over sexual sins. That’s why they are better able to get away with their own peccadillos.
Rusty:
You’re right in taking Big Ange to task for his “sociopathic” comment. That’s just not called for and there is no evidence that homosexual behavior is anything except what it is – different. Ange’s characterization of homosexual behavior is not accepted by mainstream psychiatry. Whatever your personal opinion is, please try to keep clinical terms like “sociopathic” out of the conversation unless there is a basis in fact.
True enough. It was, however, an exageration in order to illustrate a point. I fully accept that he wasn’t jumpin’ around with it “all hangin’ out”.
It is, however, merely a matter of degrees. Soliciting lewd conduct (look, lets call it what it was. He was looking for some kinda hook-up in a public bathroom) and lewd conduct differ only in regard to where in the process you are caught.
If people are quite willing to overlook this, they should – if they are being internally consistant – be ok with him doing what I said.
Well, he IS a member of congress…
Hard to argue with swj719AWG’s logic there…
Let’s clarify a few things here:
The man is not being prosecuted for being a homosexual. No law enforcement agency is accusing him of homosexuality. Moreover, no sane person would call for his resignation if the headline read “Craig comes out of the closet and announces ‘I, too, am a Gay American…’” Nobody cares.
The issue is that he was being lewd in a public bathroom. In 2007 it’s *highly* unlikely that all he did was proposition someone – rude and inappropriate as that would be, even for a non-US-Senator. Instead, we have strong reason to believe that he exposed himself. In a PUBLIC restroom, in an AIRPORT
Let’s clarify a few things here:
The man is not being prosecuted for being a homosexual. No law enforcement agency is accusing him of homosexuality. Moreover, no sane person would call for his resignation if the headline read “Craig comes out of the closet and announces ‘I, too, am a Gay American…’” Nobody cares.
The issue is that he was being lewd in a public bathroom. In 2007 it’s *highly* unlikely that all he did was proposition someone – rude and inappropriate as that would be, even for a non-US-Senator. Instead, we have strong reason to believe that he exposed himself. In a PUBLIC restroom, in an AIRPORT
Regarding the poll:
“Crapweasel”? MM – that made me laugh so hard I snorted.
swj719AWG;
If you insist on taking GOD’S name in vain, please do it somewhere OTHER than this site!
We Christians are offended.
When this happens to a Dhimmicrat, it’s their private life and none of anyone’s business and how dare you and it has nothing to do with how they do their jobs, etc, etc, blahblahblah. A Repub? OMG! See! See! Hypocrites all!! Get the pitch forks! And onandonandon…
That said, this freak needs to go bye bye…
I find it quite disturbing that their appears to be an entire subculture of anonymous public bathroom sex. The fact that the police officer recognized the behavior consistent with this type of activity seems to suggest that this happens much more frequently than people probably think. The fact that it happens in such a public place makes me shudder.
He plays the “Don’t you know who I am?” game by whipping out his Senate business card.
Wasn’t there a scene like that in “Blazing Saddles”?
No, that was “High Anxiety”, during the opening credits.
swj719AWG- obviously you haven’t even read what was alledged to have happened. There is no video tape, there is no allegation of an actual proposition for sex. It was a cop, on a mission to catch lewd behavior, that interpruted what he thought to be a come on. There were no charges brought for that, obviously for a very good reason. Based on the roll call report, it appears that the disorderly came from Craig refusing to leave the bathroom. That’s an easy one to make stick.
Once again, crapweasels get their names smeared by comparison to a sitting U.S. senator.
I thought it was Cynthia McGinny from Georgia when she “slapped” a police officer for not recognising her highness when she came in?
taylor, that’s the issue and I’m glad you’re focused on it. When Gov. James McGreavey of NJ resigned a couple of years ago, what made us puke is that he alluded to it being because he was “a gay American.” What a load of garbage. The reason he had to resign is that it quickly became known that amongst about 50 other illegal things he was being monitored for, he was absolutely engaging in public bathroom sex.
This is illegal for a reason… SEVERAL reasons, actually, not the least of which is that CHILDREN use these bathrooms.
And, to underscore JWS’s feelings: very, very few people from the MSM even mentioned that McGreavey’s actions were ILLEGAL and potentially involved children walking in on him.
It certainly seems as if the MSM has no problem with kids learning “the facts of life” by watching homosexual sex in pubic restrooms… It’s appalling.
Never mind Craig resigning: he should do TIME. Just like Kennedy should do TIME for driving under the influence last winter. Just like Webb for his involvement in the “handguns in the Capital” incident (he doesn’t like the gun laws? HE’S A SENATOR, let him work to change it…).
These should be NO-BRAINERS. You do the crime, you do the time.
Yes, he is guilty of the same thing Rep. McKinney, yet I heard no one call on her to resign. I read the complain and charges and the lewd one was dropped, but what the heck lets ignore that just like ABC did. He pleaded guilty to being an arrogant stupid congressperson who thought they were above the law, but unlike her he admitted it.
Strange that this case happened on 8/8, yet is just now getting reported about. I wonder who notified Rollcall and ABC on this case?
Craig, is not a “statesman”. He’s low life scumbag. He should be run out of town!
Then the democRats, like Kennedy, Murtha, “Cold Cash” Davis, Barney “The Gay Pimp” Franks, and all the other democRat weasels that get a pass by the MSM for their disgusting behavior, need to be booted, too!
Watch for more “republican’t” indiscretions and “crimes” to be splashed all over the MSM, while the other side’s same behavior will be ignored, or possibly even glorified!!
The upside is that democrats will be distracted for a few days from supporting terrorists and weakening America.
This is the difference between us and the Libs. When our people are stuck in scandle we demand the resign until they are cleared. He plead guilt. Got to go now.
Libs just hang on and on and on.
I don’t have give many examples, Clinton, Kennedy, Jefferson. Anymore???
Instead, we have strong reason to believe that he exposed himself. In a PUBLIC restroom, in an AIRPORT
I once took out my privates in a bathroom too.
Again you say “we christians” as though I’m not. I’m fascinated by this, and would ask you when exactly I converted to something, anything besides “Luthern”…
Please. It was obviously a plea deal (”plead guilty” is a tip off) for a lesser charge. A 100% common occurance in every jurisdiction in the country. Read the cop’s statements in the rollcall piece again. He is telling you that the Senator was attempting to initiate an encounter in a public bathroom. If you think the cop’s lying, that’s one thing, but if you think he’s telling the truth (ar that it’s likely he’s telling the truth), then your assertation is bunk.
The Senator, criminal record not withstanding, attempted to initiate an “encounter” in a public bathroom. That’s a lewd act, I don’t care who you are.
I would be VERY interested to see the original arrest report, in addition to the original charges filed. They won’t say “disorderly conduct”.
#57 Airforce_5_O
Gregoire, maybe?
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=gregoire+scandal
Just one more Republican acting like a freakin’ Democrat. He should either resign, or change parties.
#59 swj719AWG
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/0828071craig1.html
What, and then they get their job back?
We elected a POTUS that was an admitted alcoholic. We took his word that he is sober.
Where are you going to draw the line on those involved in scandal? How will you differentiate between manufactured on real charges against a person?
Thanks Tony…
As an Idahoan, I had already informed his office that I would not be backing him in the next primary due to his support of the recent Shamnesty Bill. But this disgrace calls for an immediate resignation NOW.
Since when is being a recovered alcoholic a scandal?
And there’s a huge difference between getting a DUI before you were ever elected, and committing a crime while serving in office, espcially since it was a sex crime in a public place.
And Craig plead guilty here, to a charge which was clearly a plea deal, just read the report and you’ll see that he didn’t appear to do what he plead guilty of doing.
Did you read the link provided to the report?
Where did you get that it was a plea deal? There wasn’t a case against Craig, based on the Police Officer’s account.
Based on most of the comments by the men at HA and other places, most of them could be charged with the exact same thing. Who knew standing and waiting for a stall was considered lewd? Or the way one places their bag in the stall? Or the stance you assume when doing your business.
There wasn’t a charge there.
taylork, when was Craig charged with a sex crime? He wasn’t. He plead guilty to and was charged with disorderly conduct, as in resisting the cops actions.
How so? Certainly not based on the responses I see here. We don’t allow anyone with scandal, ever, that’s the difference between us and them..seems to be the message…
Dang it!The shame should be enough punishment.
I agree that the MSM, and the scum that support the politicians that get away with this type of behavior, are contemptible.
I also feel, however, that this is the single largest reason that the public supports conservative candidates. About 2/3 of Americans are, in fact, decent – and care enough to vote that way.
The fact that about 1/3 of our citizens will support scum like the people mentioned here is terrifying, but I digress…
What has driven a wedge between conservatives and republicans is precisely this kind of thing. Ronald Reagan would have chewed this kind on nonsense up. He’d be instructing Congress, publically, “clean up the people’s house!”
Instead we get liberals running amock, republicans afraid of their own shadows, etc.
What a mess.
How about: before you’re elected, the electorate gets to factor your infraction into their voting pattern? If you do something like this after, the only thing we can do is call for your prosecution and removal.
That seems to be a pretty big difference.
Vatar:
Craig did NOT “expose himself” in the restroom. He supposedly propositioned this undercover cop.
Get your facts straight.
Peejz and BigAnge… got one of you denying the whole thing and the other making incredibly stupid biggoted comments.
Is it any wonder the libs think we are morons?
Airforce_5_0 has the way of it.
It’s not about what *points finger* they got away with. “He did worse and he gets to stay.. nah nah…”
It isn’t even about ‘family values’.
It IS about personal responsibility. (At least to me it is)
He needs to step down now. Not because he may or may not be gay. I could care less.
Because he was indulging in illegal and unsafe behavior in a public restroom.
The moral high road? Weren’t we just discussing that? He needs to stop playing the McKinny ‘don’t you know who I am card’ and start taking responsiblity for his actions. To do otherwise just makes him a crapweasel.
AJ:
Close on the pool. I make it noon tomorrow.
Some of you need to learn to read.
“Interference with privacy” – look it up.
Question, does Craig outright resign, or does he just not seek reelection?
And if he does leave, on a scale of 1-10, how hard does the Media beat the homophobia drum?
I thought name calling was a venial sin.
3 steps said:
Where did you come up with that? I am not denying that Craig was in the bathroom. I am denying that he was charged with a lewd act. I am denying that he copped a lessor plea. I come to that conclusion based on the written statement of the cop.
I assume you are a lawyer Peejz?
and the fact that he apparently has a history of these types of incidents doesn’t seem to matter, eh Peejz?
The man made his own noose the minute he got all loquatious and self-important in the restroom, and he put his neck in it when he pleaded guilty to anything that could be tied back to the original event.
He’s now hanging at the end of the rope and it seems like he’s the only one who doesn’t yet realize he’s dead. Maybe he’s right and we’re wrong, but it seems the Idaho GOP’s in there tugging on his feet listening for that satisfying ’snap’ that’d free them from this mess with enough time before the election to fix things.
nbarry
That is absurd. Democrats are every bit as hypocritical as Republicans on sex issues, and are even moreso on non-sex issues.
The hypocrisy of Bill Clinton and his sex with his female subordinates gets lost on people for some reason. The Democrats claim to be the womens party and that it is Republicans who treat women in a demeaning fashion.
And the hypocrisy of Al Gore with his huge mansion and jet setting lifestyle never seems to bother liberals in the slightest.
What history? His record was clean according to the cops.
His record is not so clean if I am to take the word of a blogger that is hell bent on outing gays in the Republican party.
I too can make up stories and tell how I did extensive research, but never share my work.
Rick,
I still have two hours out here in California…. lol.
As an Idaho resident I want Senator Reid to resign or at least do us the favor of not running for re-election. The wife and I have had it with his stance on illegal immigration and so have many of my neighbors. This incident is another nail in the coffin of his attempt to run for re-election. We will continue to work against his re-election only because of his views on amnesty for law breakers. We could care less about his personal lifestyle choice.
First, I did read the link. I don;t know about you, but I don’t peer into a stall while waiting for it for over two minutes. That’s not waiting. Do you suppose he kept looking in (as alledged by the officer) because he thought the guy in the stall (the cop) disappeared? If you know someone’s in there, you’ll see them leave. They have to come out at some point. The cop detailed the entire event in his writen report.
Here is the cop’s actual report.
Read that. The third typed line doesn’t read “disorderly conduct”. It’s “Title: Lewd conduct”.
Now, I know you might not have been on the recieving end of our criminal justice system, but, here’s a couple pointers:
- Cops lable/title their reports under what the arresting/primary charge was. He didn’t say “lewd conduct” because he felt like it.
- When you plead guilty, about 95% of the time you do so to recieve a conviction on a charge that is lesser to the original charge. ‘Murder to manslaughter’, ‘aggrivated assault’ to ’simple assault’, so on and so on. To plead guilty to disorderly conduct almost certainly tells us that it’s a lesser charge. ‘Disorderly conduct’ is a lesser charge to ‘lewd conduct’.
To deny that he was attempting to entice the guy in the stall next to him is to deny every single thing the officer wrote in his report. It wasn’t just the placement of the bag, it wasn’t the foot all the way over tapping, it wasn’t the peering into the stall (so closely the cop could make out his blue eyes) over a period of two minutes, it is the sum total of all those behaviors.
Sure, any one of them could be 100% innocent. All together they suggest something less than wholesome.