From Wide-Stance To ''Wide Coverage?''

[DeSwiss]

GOP Is Ready to Roll Out the Klieg Lights for Craig

Washington Post
By Chris Cillizza And Shailagh Murray
Sunday, September 30, 2007; A02

Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho is a tough guy to run out of town. Not that his Republican colleagues aren't trying. Worried that the disgraced lawmaker intends to remain in the Senate indefinitely, they are threatening to notch up the public humiliation by seeking an open ethics hearing on the restroom scandal that enveloped Craig last month. The Senate hearing would examine the original charges in Craig's case, including the allegation of "interference with privacy," for peeping into the bathroom stall occupied by an undercover police officer. One senior Republican aide imagined "witnesses, documents, all in front of the klieg lights."

The committee also could look for "a pattern of conduct" -- which means combing court records in other locales to discover whether Craig had prior arrests that haven't come to light. The call for a public hearing is not unprecedented. In 1995, the Senate narrowly rejected holding an open forum to examine sexual misconduct allegations against Bob Packwood (R-Ore.). The Democrat who called for the open Packwood hearing? Barbara Boxer (Calif.), the current chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee.

While his lawyer was in Minnesota last week trying to persuade a judge to throw out the senator's guilty plea, Craig was a regular presence on the Senate floor, backslapping colleagues during votes and, at one point, conducting a private conversation with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who has urged Craig in no uncertain terms to leave the Senate. Craig's wife, Suzanne, also made an appearance at a Senate spouses' lunch.

"I do not think it is healthy for the U.S. Senate to be put through a public type of hearing on this type of an ethics complaint, but that is ultimately going to be his decision, because we are very limited on what we can do," said Sen. John Ensign (Nev.), chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/29/AR2007092901549_pf.html

- "Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go." ~ Oscar Wilde

[liberalmuse]

1. LOL, let him stay.

And when the 'pubs have their convention in Minnesota, you can bet there will be people offering the Larry Craig bathroom tours. Everytime he hits the news, no matter in what context, people will always think, 'toe-tapper' or 'public restroom sex solicitor'.

[DeSwiss]

3. Yeah, I forgot about the Repuke convention.....

....of course it couldn't come with better timing since they're about to do a $1 million men's restroom makeover at the Minneapolis Airport. More privacy, I hear....



MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The infamous airport men's room where Sen. Larry Craig was arrested is getting new stall dividers that drop nearly to the floor to make it a less inviting spot for sexual liaisons.

The new stall dividers will fall to just 2 to 3 inches above the floor, instead of leaving as much as a foot of open space as they do now. The airport expects to spend $25,000; installing them in every restroom there would cost about $1 million, Hogan said.

"It is unfortunate to look at having to spend $1 million on something that wouldn't be necessary if people simply behaved themselves," he said.

http://www.wpsdtv.com/mostpopular/story.aspx?content_id=1a37ad0f-82ef-4660-ab47-d228ed92b24c

[ashling]

2. Breaking: Good News for the GOP:

It turns out that the whole bathroom foot tapping thing was entirely innocent and has been totally misconscrewed by the librul media.

As it turns out, Larry Craig was in that bathroom for an entirely legitimate purpose: to recieve a payoff. The foot tapping was the agreed upon signal to the bagman for the exchange of funds.

So, no problem. Larry will be allowed to stay in the Senate, and no ethics investigation is called for.

:rofl:

[DeSwiss]

4. Oh. Well. Right.

- "Ummmm, Larry? Don't you think you should keep that bribe money someplace other than the freezer???"

:rofl:

[IDemo]

5. Today's Idaho Statesman: For Larry Craig, ‘for now’ might mean ‘until January 2009’

Dan Popkey - Idaho Statesman
Edition Date: 09/30/07

On Sept. 1, Sen. Larry Craig told Idaho and the world he intended to resign Sept. 30. That's today. Instead, Craig says he plans to stay "for now."

What does "for now" mean?

Craig has weathered pressure to quit, including a pending Senate ethics inquiry, shunning by national Republican leaders and the stripping of his senior status on committees, the key to his power.

Craig survived and returned to the Senate two weeks ago. Now, Idaho Republican leaders tell me they've come to believe Craig will likely complete his term in January 2009.

" ‘For now' is permanent," said one. "He ain't leaving."

http://www.idahostatesman.com/387/story/171597.html

[DeSwiss]

6. Well, good for him....

...its good to see a person stand by his principles these days. Sticking with the party through thick and thin. And when the going gets rough. This is just what the Republicans need -- someone who can exemplify everything that they stand for. And help make the choice that much clearer in 2008.

- It really breaks me up. Kinda gets ya right here....

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.


HEY LARRY!!!! THANK YOU!!!!

[ljm2002]

7. Funny that your sig line is Oscar Wilde...

...because he is the first person I thought of when I heard that Craig may force a trial or be subjected to ethics hearings.

Wilde famously accused the father of one of his male lovers of slander, and as a result Wilde was convicted of indecency and spent some years in jail -- disgraced, and his proclivities made public for all to see.

In Wilde's case it was tragic. In Craig's case -- so far it is just comic.