Ah, the gift that keeps on giving – Larry Craig. Senator Larry Craig announced today that he was not leaving the Senate. I couldn’t be happier. Sometimes when you are trying the think of the latest example of Republican hypocrisy you can’t come up with the right on. Some examples are too old. Some didn’t get enough press for everyone to know what you are talking about. Larry Craig on the other hand, can be pointed to as the best example of someone who opposed gay rights but clearly acted on gay impulses. You can’t convince me that this is the first time that he had gone to that bathroom. (more on Larry Craig – here and here)
So, now the judge in Minnesota says no way Jose to Larry Craig’s petition to have a re-trial. TPM has a great paragraph that sums up this whole case –
So Craig’s fellow Republicans basically do everything short of physically forcing him to resign. He “resigns”. Only it’s not a resignation. Rather, it’s a rather ingenious ploy to let the temperature ease off on the story, a post-dated resignation. Then it’s not a resignation. He’s going to fight the guilty plea — something of a novelty in the annals of jurisprudence. He’ll stay in office if he can get his plea withdrawn. And now he can’t get his guilty plea withdrawn so, well, too bad. He’s staying anyway.
It is kind of remarkable that it is the Republicans that look impotent for once.
