Craig on Monday denied any misconduct. "At the time of this incident, I complained to the police that they were misconstruing my actions," he said in a written statement. "I was not involved in any inappropriate conduct. I should have had the advice of counsel in resolving this matter. In hindsight, I should not have pled guilty. I was trying to handle this matter myself quickly and expeditiously."If you click through, there's also an exhaustive piece on the various rumors of of Craig's homosexuality over the years. So exhaustive it comes off tacky, actually. But this is an interesting counterpoint:
Last fall, Craig's neighbors at a Washington marina expressed disbelief at Rogers' attempt to out him. Ed Johnson is an openly gay man, former local elected official and has been an acquaintance and neighbor of Craig's off and on for 15 years. He is president of the Gangplank Slipholders Association, a neighbor to the smaller Capital Yacht Club, where Craig lives.
A Democrat, Johnson works for the American Humanists Association, which he describes as "the godless, liberal, left-wing atheists."
"If I thought there was truth to the rumor, I'd be first in line to out him," said Johnson, who agrees hypocritical public officials should be exposed.
"But after 15 years in a close-knit community where everybody knows everybody's business, to be that clandestine and never have anything said — it's just hard to imagine. I mean, if somebody has a fight and breaks up with their boyfriend or girlfriend, you know it the next day."
Update: Dean on Craig:
They're all gross. To me, being a U.S. Senator would necessarily require that you either not engage in anonymous and/or contractual sex-- whatever your deviant fare may be-- or, barring that, that you at least be very careful about it. And yet, those senators who choose to wet their whistles in a manner inconsistent with family values and/or Biblical prescriptions are so often very, very careless about it.
AS TO THE SERIOUS QUESTION OF whether or not Senator Craig should resign, that one’s a no-brainer for someone like me who thought David Vitter should have stepped down. To lead millions of people, one needs at least a modicum of moral stature. Both politicians forfeited that stature when they engaged in their off-campus hijinks. Where one draws the line on such matters is arbitrary, so I don’t think anyone’s being hypocritical if they say Vitter can stay and Craig must go. Unless you’re going to say that no moral and personal code should apply to our politicians, Craig’s career must surely head to the crapper.
Logically, one's high profile would require that one be extra discreet, but perhaps Washington's power structure and the folks it attracts are so warped that they think being senators is precisely what allows them to do whatever the hell they want without fear of real punishment. Of course, I guess they do have Teddy Kennedy as precedent.
Update: Craig's holding a 4:30 p.m. presser. Check out the Michelle Malkin poll on his possible resignation. Ouch.
Update: Allah will have video. Here's the write-up. That was a fairly aggressive news conference. He took responsibility only for pleading guilty to something he didn't do and bringing a "cloud over Idaho." He blamed the Idaho Statesman for asking questions about his sexuality that then spurred him to plead guilty to make the issue go away quickly. He asked forgiveness from the people of Idaho and reiterated that he's not gay.
Meanwhile, on the Hill, Republicans are talking ethics investigation. The better thing for the party would have been for Craig to step down, thereby allowing Republicans to continue to govern without succumbing to the investigation bug the Democrats have. This is all going to remain painful to watch.
Update: Speaking of painful to watch...
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