EDITORIAL – Hypocrite Craig blames media for “witch hunt”

Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) announced his resignation on Saturday following his arrest and… Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) announced his resignation on Saturday following his arrest and conviction after an airport bathroom sex sting this June. The senator said he would step down Sept. 30.

Here we go again. Republicans in Congress had barely recovered from news surrounding Rep. Mark Foley’s (R-Fla.) inappropriate e-mails to male pages, leading to his resignation last year, when news about Craig’s actions surfaced. Quickly and predictably, Republicans in Congress distanced themselves from the senator. Others immediately called for Craig’s resignation.

This seems to be a recurring problem for Republicans. It also draws attention to a rising trend in their behavior. People like Ted Haggard, Foley and Craig who are staunch opponents of gay rights might have taken such strong anti-homosexual stances because they felt they had something to hide. They seem to take the fight as far as they do to compensate for their deep, unseen feelings about the matter.

Whether or not this was the motive behind his opposition to gay rights, Larry Craig finally resigned, and thank goodness for it. Such conduct is unbecoming of a U.S. senator. Soliciting prostitution of any kind, be it homosexual or heterosexual, is not what public officials should be doing with their time.

But, as far as we’re concerned, it doesn’t matter what Craig’s sexual preference is. What does matter, however, is hypocrisy.

During his career in Congress, Craig has voted to ban gay marriage, opposed to take any action to protect gays from discrimination and did not want to see gay people serve in the military or adopt children. While Craig has repeatedly said that he is not and never was gay, his actions in June suggest otherwise and there is no place for hypocrisy in the U.S. Senate.

What also matters here is the senator’s outstanding inability to take responsibility for his actions. He has blamed his Republican colleagues for pushing him to plead guilty and pressuring him to resign and he has claimed to be the victim of the news media’s active “witch hunt” against him.

But this is not, as Craig says, a “witch hunt.” Rather, it is shocking and provocative news about which people have a right to know. Furthermore, the news media started most of its excessive coverage after Craig pled guilty earlier this summer, and that clearly makes it fair game for journalists. No, this is not a conspiracy set out to ruin Craig’s career. He did that on his own.

Furthermore, while Craig has apologized on his website, he made it clear that he decided to plead guilty because he was pushed to do so by Republicans in Congress. The senator went on to say, “I have little control over what people choose to believe.” Craig is obviously apologizing for the wrong reasons and doesn’t seem to think he is really at fault for his actions.

Way to resign with dignity.