Friday, August 31, 2007

On Larry Craig

I think the endless discussion is missing one real possibility: that Craig may be telling the truth.

It's hardly unknown for police to entrap someone, especially when they're trolling for perverts. We don't have any point at which Craig offered sex, discussed sex, even hinted at sex --- just a my-word-against-yours from a policeman who just "knew" that brushing his hand in a physically-impossible fashion under the edge of the stall was a proposition. And now we've got a policeman calling him a liar, threatening to arrest him for something rather more than "disorderly conduct" --- and Craig knowing that if someone has to bail him out it will be pretty awful --- and then the officer offers to let him off with disorderly, and no one will ever have to know.

I don't find it all that difficult to imagine him, in a moment of weakness or cowardice, deciding the "smart" thing to do is get it over with. Who knows if Mike Nifong is the prosecutor?

So let's be straight about this (heh): it is less than clear that Craig committed any crime. But, given what we're seeing now, would have have been wrong to think that the accusation would have destroyed his life? Was he in any position to fight?

12 comments:

loner said...

A Senator about whom certain things have been rumored for some time walks into a public restroom in which the police are conducting an undercover operation designed to discourage (even when they're not present) certain types of behavior, behavior that relates in some way to the rumors, and ends up being cited for such behavior. How likely is that?

The good news is that we appear to be back to a "live boy or dead girl" political survivability standard where Republicans are concerned. For a while there it appeared to be anyone to whom the stupid and/or unlucky public official wasn't married.

Reliapundit said...

if he was innocent he woulda fought it.

gop conservatives took on nifong.

he coulda taken on a nifonglike prosceutor.

he knew what he was doing.

he is not naive.

so why should we be?!

i agree that he had no sex.
but i trust that he used well-known signals, and not by accident.

WHERE/HOW DID HE LEARN THEM?

by being an old hand at this sorta thing.

THE REAL ISSUE IS THIS:

this is yet another case of the GOP forcing out someone who doesn't belong. foley. trent lott. they get punished.

clinton. jefferson. studds. barney frank - THEY DO NOT. immoral behvavior is not shunned by the dems. it is by the GOP.

if he was a Dem they woulda held a fundraiser and given him a leadership role.

vnjagvet said...

I agree with Rick's comments on JOM. Craig is being rejected by the voters in Idaho and his colleagues in the Senate because he handled his little RestRoom caper foolishly.

The bare minimum was hiring the best police court (misdemeanor) lawyer in the Minneapolis StPaul area. Max price about $5000.

Then he should have consulted his advisors, his family, and his lawyer(s) before pleading guilty.

Anyone who cannot follow those easy steps after 26 years in the US Senate has lost his edge sufficiently to have earned permanent retirement.

Bathroom Sex has little to do with it.

who, me? said...

His whole response-set struck me as Alzheimer-y, especially the rhetoric of "What do you think of that?" when flourishing the Congressional ID card. Has "out-of-it" been considered?

Anonymous said...

I think to myself you're one of 100 Senators in indeed the most powerful and not to leave out perhaps the most partisan-- i.e. factions formed into parties, and in this case but two that matter--country the world has known, during trying and enflamed times. A country in which the feelings of sanctity for the rule of law can be abused by guardians like Nifong and perhaps, if Seneca is right, this cop. So continuing to think to me-self, why the hell are you taking care of business without an aide standing outside your door, or at least washing his hands in the general vicinity so that he said he saids are an absolute impossibility? And if you must piss and or shit alone, I'd make damn sure I wasn't making new friends while doing it, be it via a wide stance or a glance or any other type of verbal or non-verbal behavior. This I say to myself, so either this fortunate man who was given the great responsibility of representing Idaho in times that try our souls is an ass, or was looking for some, or something in between. In all cases: Throw the bum out.

Bob said...

Larry is dressing for his last news conference about now. Then 30 days to clear out the desk. Then his new life awaits, without anxiety, without constraints.

Bob said...

from Craig's resignation speech--"I am humbled by the tremendous outpouring of support from Idahoans, colleagues, and staff." Shit, he couldn't get the time of day from anyone. Ah, Lord, some of these guys can say anything with a straight face.

Barney Frank had him figured out years ago.

Rick Ballard said...

Fred Barnes has a decent piece which covers the points I was trying to make at JOM.

There are a few more that are being offered a blindfold and cigarette. Better now than next October.

Barry Dauphin said...

He should have taken lessons from Daniel Craig on how to handle himself in the bathroom (requires having seen the last James Bond movie).

MeaninglessHotAir said...

Rick, the link to Fred Barnes is broken.

Rick Ballard said...

Weekly Standard

Thanks, MHA.

Barry Dauphin said...

For any who are interested, you can read the police report on the incident here.