Family Values homophobia
Boy, the right wingers are really piling on Sen. Larry Craig, condemning his attempts at hot gay bathroom sex. If only he had just checked into a hotel room, donned a diaper and frolicked with a couple of hookers like a normal Republican.
From The New York Times: WASHINGTON, Aug. 29 - The political career of Senator Larry E. Craig of Idaho appeared to be collapsing Wednesday as fellow Republicans called for his resignation and party leaders ousted him from his committee leadership posts amid the fallout over his arrest in a men’s room and his guilty plea in the case. [..]"
Of course he has to resign -- his hypocrisy opens him to continuous public ridicule. What kind of life does a Family Values Republican politician, who has been exposed as a Men's room toe-tappin' sex troller, expect to lead?
He pled guilty. His conduct was unbecoming of a US Senator, regardless of party. He was soliciting sex from a stranger in an airport bathroom for crying out loud.
Okay, take the "gay" out of it. If Craig were soliciting women for hetero sex in a women's restroom, would there be any doubt that his actions were criminal?
Notice how Righties are calling for Larry Craig to resign even though they DIDN'T call for Louisiana's David Vitter to resign when he was outed for prostitute shenanigans last month.
Is this because Craig was trolling for gay sex and Vitter was trolling for straight sex? Probably, but before we go too far down that road there's likely a more important reason -- the Democratic-Republican governor angle.
See, Louisiana's governor is a Democrat, and Idaho's is a Republican. Craig resigning would mean that his gov would appoint a Republican to take his place .. a Republican incumbent would be going into the 2008 election. A Democratic Senator would take Vitter's seat .. when the prostitutes were finished diapering it, that is.
See how politics works? Doesn't it make you proud?
So all these Republicans demanding that Craig resign should make the same call for Vitter .. who also violated the law. But noooo, the Righties who are turning against Craig are secure in the knowledge that they're running no actual political risk.
OR -- Gay is a sin against God, while visiting a prostitute is simply a free-market exchange of goods and services.
I almost feel sorry for Craig -- until I think of the hypocrisy and how hard he's worked against gay and lesbian civil rights and liberties.
If you remember back during the 1982 congressional page scandal, Craig, a member of the House of Representatives, suddenly issued a denial of wrong doing even though no charges had been made against him .. just shows what a guilty conscience and fear of being outed can do.
Notice how he didn't say a word during the more recent Foley page scandal .. he had learned his lesson, or maybe he had just moved on to strangers in public restrooms far away from home.
Another reason I don't feel sorry for him is when he was placed on the Veteran's Affairs Committee, he was a leader in trying to remove Non-Combat Vets from the rolls .. and if he could not, then he wanted co-pays to increase dramatically.
Even if Larry Craig and the rest of the Republicans had played by the Good 'ol Boy rules concerning Clinton's affair, Craig's arrest is still newsworthy .. just to point out their hypocrisy.
If you ask me, our country would be better off if guys like Craig, Vitter and Barney Frank would just resign when they are exposed as engaging in unlawful behavior.
But, our political system lets the voters render judgment if they don't resign.
I also think our country might be better off if Clinton had just resigned .. instead of lying to cover up his extramarital affair, then fighting impeachment.
In the long run it hurt the Democratic party. Along about now, Al Gore might be completing about 10 years as president if Clinton had done the honorable thing and resigned.
This country would be a better place .. no Iraq war ...
