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 On Tuesday, August 28, Idaho Senator Larry Craig held a press conference in Boise in hopes of convincing the public that he had done nothing wrong – even though he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge in Minneapolis earlier this summer – and that he is not now, nor every has been gay. His wife Suzanne accompanied him at the podium.
On August 8 Craig pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct, paid more than $500 in fines, received a stayed 10-day jail sentence, and was place on probation for one year. The misdemeanor charge was for allegedly soliciting sex from an undercover police officer in a men's restroom at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport – a place apparently well known in the gay community for "cruising," or looking for sex with strangers.
By Craig's own admission and as quoted in The Spokesman-Review on August 29, 2007, he now regrets his decision to plead guilty and the sadness that decision has brought on his wife, family, friends, staff and fellow Idahoans. He also admits that he should have told his family and friends about the arrest instead of keeping it to himself. Ever since the story broke on Monday afternoon in the Washington, D.C. newspaper, Roll Call, support for Senator Craig's actions has toppled and criticism has steadily increased:
• The Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a complaint with the Senate ethics committee, calling for an investigation of whether Craig's actions violate the Senate's Rules of Conduct.
• Senate Republican leaders have subsequently notified Craig they will be seeking a Senate ethics review of the case.
• Craig's actions – and his political career overall – have been the topic of discussion on TV news networks, Web sites and in other news media across the country.
• Senator Craig has resigned as the Senate co-chair of Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney's campaign.
• Romney said he felt that Craig has disappointed the American people, when asked about the matter on CNBC's "Kudlow & Company."
• Senator Craig has given up his leadership positions on the Senate Veterans Committee, Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior and Energy, and the Interior Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests.
And this is only day three!
What would you do if you were in Senator Craig's shoes? Would you resign? Finish out your term quietly and not run for re-election? Seek re-election for another term despite the opposition? What's your opinion on how Craig handled his arrest and court date? Does the fact that he kept the entire incident secret from his family and friends have an impact on whether you think he was innocent or guilty of the charge? Do you think Craig's actions violated the Senate's Rules of Conduct? Do you think the media has blown this whole thing out of proportion and damaged Craig's reputation?
We'd like to know your thoughts on this topic, so email us and we'll post your comments on Spokane.net. If you don't have time to write, then feel free to vote in our PulsePoll.
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Poll Results ...
Question:
"If you were Idaho Senator Larry Craig's top advisor, which of the following options would you recommend to him?"
Results:
Resign immediately -- 60.0%
Come out of the closet -- 20.0%
Finish out your term quietly -- 10.0%
Proceed with plans to run for re-election -- 10.0%
None of the above -- 0.0%
Undecided -- 0.0%
Send us your comments ...
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