Larry Craig To Announce This Fall Whether He'll Retire
That's what Senator Larry Craig's spokesperson, Dan Whiting, has now confirmed.
We'll have a post for you soon describing the current political state of play around Craig's Idaho Senate seat in the wake of these revelations.
Meanwhile, Glenn Greenwald has an extensive rundown of right wing reaction to the news.
Comments (9)
CT Voter wrote on August 28, 2007 12:19 PM:I have to say that I loved the little headlines on the print version of the NY Times this morning.
"Michael Vick pleads guilty. Accepts responsibility".
And just above that "Senator pleads guilty".
So a professional athlete, vilified in the press as being spoiled, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah...accepts responsibility, but a senator won't. 'Cause he was "misconstrued".
And shouldn't have pled guilty.
I agree. He probably shouldn't have pled guilty, because it really doesn't sound like he did anything illegal. Weird bathroom behavior? Yes. But illegal?
In any event, conservative Republicans are just the gift that keeps on giving, aren't they?
Greg wrote on August 28, 2007 12:33 PM:heh, that's hilarious. might be worth duplicating...
Hoppy wrote on August 28, 2007 1:38 PM:I'm surprised that no one seems to be upset over a policeman sitting in a public bathroom stall for a half hour, just hoping someone would do anything at all out of the ordinary. The arrest report should have been treated as the joke that it was. It is evidence of nothing wrong that I can see, other than the waste of tax money and the deviant behavior of the policeman.
Apparently, such bahavior is acceptable if performed by a cop, but is somehow criminal if performed by a US Senator.
I, like most Democrats, had a good laugh about this when the news first came out, but reading the arrest report changes everything. The wrong scandal is being played up here.
DaveW wrote on August 28, 2007 2:10 PM:What I get out of this is that it presents Dems and progressives with a golden opportunity to opt for principle over cheap scores. Back when we were a somewhat free country, entrapment was frowned upon, if not outright illegal. When cops set up a victim they risked having their case dismissed, and even possible disciplinary action.
I'm as gratified as anyone at seeing GOP hypocrites exposed for what they are. But politics is in the end supposed to be about real issues, not just partisan gotchas.
Now is the time for Dems and progressives to stand up for Craig's rights along with everyone else's. That was what we were supposed to be about, remember? What Craig did in the can was entirely his own business. His mistake was taking a plea instead of defending the basic liberties that Republicans so love to bloviate about when they're not yapping about "family values".
Still, as a victim of a "justice system" gone psycho, Craig deserves our vocal support and sympathy. He won't get any anywhere else.
DaveW wrote on August 28, 2007 2:12 PM:What I get out of this is that it presents Dems and progressives with a golden opportunity to opt for principle over cheap scores. Back when we were a somewhat free country, entrapment was frowned upon, if not outright illegal. When cops set up a victim they risked having their case dismissed, and even possible disciplinary action.
I'm as gratified as anyone at seeing GOP hypocrites exposed for what they are. But politics is in the end supposed to be about real issues, not just partisan gotchas.
Now is the time for Dems and progressives to stand up for Craig's rights along with everyone else's. That was what we were supposed to be about, remember? What Craig did in the can was entirely his own business. His mistake was taking a plea instead of defending the basic liberties that Republicans so love to bloviate about when they're not yapping about "family values".
Still, as a victim of a "justice system" gone psycho, Craig deserves our vocal support and sympathy. He won't get any anywhere else.
DaveW wrote on August 28, 2007 2:13 PM:What I get out of this is that it presents Dems and progressives with a golden opportunity to opt for principle over cheap scores. Back when we were a somewhat free country, entrapment was frowned upon, if not outright illegal. When cops set up a victim they risked having their case dismissed, and even possible disciplinary action.
I'm as gratified as anyone at seeing GOP hypocrites exposed for what they are. But politics is in the end supposed to be about real issues, not just partisan gotchas.
Now is the time for Dems and progressives to stand up for Craig's rights along with everyone else's. That was what we were supposed to be about, remember? What Craig did in the can was entirely his own business. His mistake was taking a plea instead of defending the basic liberties that Republicans so love to bloviate about when they're not yapping about "family values".
Still, as a victim of a "justice system" gone psycho, Craig deserves our vocal support and sympathy. He won't get any anywhere else.
DaveW wrote on August 28, 2007 2:24 PM:Sorry for the triplicate. I really hate this new setup, which now apparently adds a built-in delay to its "neo-primitive" style. Is anybody ever going to explain what in hell TPM was thinking?
Bill Daniels wrote on August 28, 2007 2:59 PM:Regarding the comments to the effect, 'What are cops doing monitoring this behavior in airport restrooms in the first place?'. There were complaints filed by citizens using the facilities. The police were obligated to respond.
Long Memory wrote on August 28, 2007 3:11 PM:Maybe he'll decide he should keep his hand in. So to speak. He oughta at least take his case to the voters. ("I just can't quit you, Larry.")
