Posted by
Doctor Demex on Friday, August 31, 2007 5:32:49 PM
The latest faux pas of Idaho Senator Larry Craig strengths a bizarre trend that goes back at least to 1982, when he puzzled everyone on Capitol Hill by issuing a press release stating that he had nothing to do with an incipient scandal about lewd conduct with congressional pages.
What was puzzling about his behavior was that he was not among those accused of any misconduct, nor would anyone have thought of him in connection with the scandal had he not brought it up. Associating one's name unnecessarily with negative news is not something a smart politician does.
In the congressional office I was running at the time—definitely not Larry Craig's—we considered whether we should issue a press release denying our boss's involvement with the scandal, even though any sort of association between such a situation and our boss could not have been conceived by a rational mind. The mere mention of the idea took about five seconds to morph into hysterical laughter. If it were a good idea to issue press releases about everything that did not concern you, then wouldn't you be neck-deep in bills from your publicist?
This incident of bad judgment is the most salient feature of Larry Craig's career for people old enough to remember it. He was a freshman member of the House of Representatives back then, and this was the first time America had ever heard of Larry Craig. Now comes the Senator again with what seems to be an ill-considered plan to plead guilty to something he insists he didn't do in a Minneapolis airport men's room. Pleading guilty to avoid the exposure of a lengthy or embarrassing trial or to keep legal costs down or to reduce or avoid prison time is something that's done every day. For misdemeanors, a plea bargain can "put an end to the matter." But it's not a good choice for a U.S. Senator in a situation like this.
The issue calls into question the Senator's judgment, which is the most important thing his constituents need from him. His colleagues in the Capitol can urge him to resign to protect the reputation of the Senate—and yes, I am saying this with a straight face—but as a practical matter, the end of Mr. Craig's Senate career comes either at a time of his own choosing or when his constituents vote him out next year. Whether Idahoans believe one of their home-grown potatoes would be a better Senate candidate is entirely up to them. There is no better example of where the decision rests in such matters than the continual reelection of Ted Kennedy by the people of Massachusetts.
Even more interesting to me than this whole sordid affair are the cries of many self-styled liberals who call Mr. Craig a hypocrite. Most liberals are so busy defending lewd behavior in public bathrooms that they often don't think to take two seconds to check a good dictionary before using big words like hypocrisy. I'll have something to say about that next time.