Senator Larry Craig of Idaho was recently arrested for soliciting sexual favors from an undercover cop at a Minneapolis airport bathroom. He originally pleaded guilty, from what he says the stress of harassment he has been receiving from his Statesman back home in Idaho because of prior allegations of having sex with other men. Senator Larry Craig maintains his statement that he is not and never was gay. The allegations that have been put forth against him are false and he apologizes for the embarrassment to all. Senator Craig is now consulting with his legal counsel and in his statement to the press he said he will decide next month whether or not to try for another re-election.
Senator Larry Craig’s prior allegations and now this recent arrest have left a very consistent and hard to ignore trail. His alleged behind the scenes behavior is very different than his political stand, which is extremely conservative. Senator Craig has voted in favor of banning same-sex marriage in the Constitution and has also opposed extending the federal hate crimes law to cover those of anti-gay acts. Finally he has voted against outlawing prejudice against gays in employment discrimination.
As someone representing Idaho and our country on a national level, Senator Craig should be punished to the fullest extent; if not only for discrimination against people on a national and yet person level, but also for being a hypocrite. His actions and his political views are as different as night and day, and while he claims to have been set up or misunderstood in the airport bathroom, the prior allegations against him say enough alone.
