Senator Craig Resigns
Idaho Senator Larry Craig has resigned, as expected.
"I apologize for what I have caused," Craig said.
Craig's resignation completed a stunning downfall that began Monday with the disclosure that he had pleaded guilty to a reduced charge following his arrest during a sex sting in a Minneapolis airport men's room.
Although leading members of his own party had called for him to step down, Craig steadfastly resisted resigning for days, contending that he had done nothing wrong and that his only mistake was pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge.
Craig was defiant after the arrest and guilty plea were first reported. "I am not gay. I never have been gay," he declared Tuesday in Boise, Idaho, with his wife, Suzanne, at his side. He said he had kept the incident from aides, friends and family and later pleaded guilty "in hopes of making it go away."
Craig, 62, has represented Idaho in Congress for more than a quarter-century and was up for re-election next year. He had not said if he would run for a fourth term in 2008 and was expected to announce his plans this fall.
"It is with sadness and deep regret that I announce it is my intention to resign from the Senate effective Sept. 30," Craig said, with his wife again at his side and Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter standing behind him.
I could not possibly care less what Larry Craig's proclivities are or are not. The fact is that a small incident like this is turned into a major scandal if a Republican is involved. The press routinely ignores much worse on the Democratic side. That's why someone like Ted Kennedy still serves even though he - at best - let a woman drown (and it could very well be a lot worse than that) or that Robert Byrd is treated as an elder statesman despite his past in the Ku Klux Klan. Let's not even get started on Bill Clinton.
Them's the facts and Republican lawmakers should by now know that the rules are applied differently to them.
By FedUp, Saturday, 1 September , 2007 @ 1:36 pm
I don’t care about Larry Craig either. Sad that he got caught in a compromising situation, but, as Gaius stated, there are many democrats with more dirty laundry who are still enjoying all the perks of their position instead of being rode out of town on a rail. TERM LIMITS!!!!