In Any Other Job, Senator Craig Would Be “Toast”
Senator Larry Craig of Idaho gets the award for arrogance. If he worked in any other job except as U.S. Senator, he would have been toast, as they say in the broadcast business. Now that a judge refuses to vacate his guilty plea, the Senator says he will stay in the Senate. breaking his pledge to resign. All this, of course, poses super risks for the GOP, already devastated by the planned retirement of four popular Senators next year.
Frankly, you wonder some times whether top politicians can control their egos. Craig “resigned” after admitting to pleading guilty to a charge relating to a restroom encounter. The question remains: Why did he plead guilty if he felt he was not guilty? In our legal system, we get to pick a lawyer and our innocence is presumed until proven otherwise. In this case, Senator Craig didn’t even choose those options.
His sexual preference is not an issue here, although one wonders if the person on the other side of the stall was more interested in proving sexual preference than in nailing a suspected solicitor of sex. In an age of increased murder rates, you would have to ask the Minnesota authorities why they were so keen on toe touching when hardened criminals are shooting up the streets of the Midwest and Great Plains.
Those are questions for another time.
The question right now is why the Senator hasn’t kept his promise to step down and whether the Senate, slow to censure and expel, will not act to force him out.
He has a few supporters but men and women in high places must do what is right. If the Senate can’t figure out a way to force him out, it will be a new chapter in the double standards of our system of justice.
Bottom line: Senator Craig pleaded guilty.
The Senate should act sooner than later.
I’m guessing the Senate will wait until the Ethics Committee does its thing before anything happens with Senator Craig.
You’re absolutely right about the sting oeprations, though. Cops should spend more time catching murderers and robbers.
Larry, same reason that Hillary hired Sandy (trouser trouter) Burglar…no conscience.
Being a good Republican, I am also puzzled at Senator Craig’s haughtiness. He should do the right thing and go back home to Idaho before he pulls down more people in 08.