CNN is reporting Senator Larry Craig (R-Bathroom Stalls) will be resigning his Senate seat today, under increasing (but not public) pressure from both the Republican National Committee and folks in his home state. According to CNN, the RNC was going to actually take the step of publicly calling for Craig to resign, but backed off on that once word leaked that Craig was seriously considering resigning on his own.
What’s been most amusing about this entire situation – besides Senator Craig’s continued insistence he’s not gay – is the disparate reactions we’ve seen from the left and the right in response to Senator Craig’s situation. On the right we’ve seen all sorts of teeth gnashing and nastiness directed at Senator Craig, while the left has done a good job of not commenting on the situation, preferring instead to let the Republican Party do all the hard work of tearing down one of their own.
As I look at this situation, the fact that Senator Craig may have been trolling a public bathroom for sex doesn’t surprise or bother me, considering how popular a past time that seems to be for some Republican lawmakers. What really bothers me is the allegation that Senator Craig presented the police officer who arrested him with a business card identifying himself as a U.S. Senator, allegedly saying, “How does that make you feel?” Senator Craig’s attempt to influence his arresting officer through the use of his office is downright despicable, and it reeks of the kind of unethical and contemptible behavior that’s been a hallmark of the Republican Party in recent memory. I hope Senator Craig resigns, and not just because he’s fond of trolling public bathrooms for sex, but because his behavior after his arrest has been both contemptible and disgraceful.
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