House Editorial: Surprise surprise: scandal in the Senate

Posted on August 30, 2007

Whether or not he did it, Sen. Larry Craig has essentially ended his own Congressional career with allegations of soliciting sex in a public restroom at Minneapolis airport.

According to CNN, the senior senator from Idaho was arrested June 11 after peering through a crack in a restroom stall for two minutes and using suggestive hand gestures to imply that he wanted to engage in lewd conduct with an undercover police officer.

CNN goes on to say that Craig pleaded guilty Aug. 8 to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge, but has denied allegations that he his gay. He later tried to explain away his guilty plea by saying that it was a misguided overreaction because of stress from The Idaho Statesman’s investigation, and appealing to the sympathies of his audience by claiming a Boise newspaper had relently harrassed him after the incident.

Around the political world everyone has an opinion on the topic and almost all are negative. The White House has expressed disappointment in the situation, but has called it a matter that should be addressed by the senator and the Senate Republican leadership. Congressional colleagues are pleading for Craig to resign and other public officials are trying to distance themselves from  the senator as much as possible.

As a senator and human being, it is idiotic that Craig has gotten himself in this situation in the first place. Regardless of ones’ sexual preference or what they do in their own time and behind closed doors, soliciting sex in a restroom is about the creepiest scenario for a pick-up line or gesturing of any sort. Any modern man should be – and if you’re not listen up – aware of the unspoken man law that dictates that you do not speak to or look at another man while one or both are in a stall or at a urinal. If it turns out that the allegations are true, then Craig should resign out of respect for the people of Idaho, and the collective nation.

A surprising element of this story is that throughout his entire career in Congress, the hypocritical Craig has seemed to play the ‘anti-homosexual’ role. Perhaps the saddest part of the whole incident is the fact that Craig is married with children, who are sure to be heavily affected by the whole mess. It may also be a lesson that our decisions can affect others and we should choose wisely – despite our libidos.