NY TIMES: Craig Says He’ll Stay in Senate, Defying the G.O.P.

[L. Coyote]

Craig Says He’ll Stay in Senate, Defying the G.O.P.
By CARL HULSE - Oct 4, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/04/washington/05craig.html?em&ex=1191729600&en=0ce94550e6954ff2&ei=5087%0A


WASHINGTON, Oct. 4 — Senator Larry E. Craig of Idaho, defying the wishes of many in his own Republican Party, said today that he would remain in the Senate through next year despite a court ruling against him in Minnesota, where he sought to rescind his guilty plea stemming from an undercover sex sting.

Shortly after a state judge denied his request to withdraw the August plea admitting to disorderly conduct, Mr. Craig said he had reversed his previously announced decision to leave the Senate if he could not get the plea thrown out and would instead serve out his third term, which expires at the end of 2008. He said he would not run for a fourth.

....

His decision was a major disappointment to Republican leaders, who had hoped Mr. Craig would make good on his initial pledge and spare them from the potential political liability of having a senior lawmaker who has become a national punch line.

.... Republicans are unlikely to lose Idaho’s Senate seat but are worried Mr. Craig could tarnish the party’s overall reputation.

Senator John Ensign of Nevada, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, demanded that Mr. Craig keep his initial pledge and leave the Senate. .............

[saltpoint]

1. Well, there goes the Phelps endorsement.

[Stardust]

2. I don't believe the Rethugs are really disappointed, as long as

the Senate is tied up in investigations and hearings on Craig's ethics, etc., they won't have time to investigate the real culprits, Bush and Cheney (obviously). Oh-look-at-that-shiny-thing distraction that they are (sadly) so successful with.

[L. Coyote]

3. Insightful! I wonder too if he is doing his own thing, or just one of the boys who got caught

How many "close" buddies does he have in DC?

Is his real crime getting caught?

[Stardust]

4. If you mean, was Craig in good company surrounded by esteemed

colleagues :puke: (sorry, I couldn't help it.)?Surely you've noticed the uber-uptightness among Repugnicans, obviously a sign of you-know-what. (ah-hem prvrt ah-hem-hem.) I'm sure he esteemed his colleagues, a lot.

[krispos42]

5. And all across this great land of ours....

The writers for Letterman, Leno, O'Brian, Stewart, Colbert, Mad TV, and Saturday Night Live slap high-fives and raise their glasses in a toast for job security!

[L. Coyote]

6. As of today, being a Flip-Flopper means indecision about which toilet stall to pick!

:rofl: