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OUR OPINION: SEN. CRAIG It's all about politics now
In the grand scheme of things, Sen. Larry Craig's sexual preference is of little importance to the Republic. He can be strongly criticized for his lack of candor and for a public defense that strains credibility but his guilty plea for disorderly conduct at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport doesn't strike us as reason for an immediate ouster from the U.S. Senate.
On the other hand if he's forced out either by the voters in 2008 or by political pressure from fellow Republicans, we suspect few tears will be shed on his behalf.
What's occurring now is political fallout. Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., who faces a challenging re-election campaign in 2008, has urged Craig to step down. Sen. John McCain, a Republican presidential candidate, also called for Craig to resign. Coleman and McCain don't want the baggage of being linked with a Republican colleague who pleaded guilty in an incident in which police concluded he was engaging in lewd behavior in a public restroom.
Conversely, Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., a presidential candidate, and Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., are not calling for Craig to step down. Dodd wants to hear Craig's side of the story and Frank called the Idaho senator a hypocrite but didn't think he should resign. From the Democratic point of view a Republican senator in trouble makes great fodder for the all-news channels.
So, Craig's fate will be decided by either by voters or by political pressure that's brought to bear on him. And that's probably as it should be.
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