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Craig Loses Committee Seats; More GOP Hypocrisy

The Idaho Statesman is reporting that Republican Senate leadership has asked and Senator Larry Craig has agreed to temporarily give up his seats on four committees.

Sen. Larry Craig has agreed to temporarily give up his seats on four Senate Committees at the request of Senate Republican leadership, while his political support eroded significantly today when three fellow Republicans in Congress called for his resignation.

Craig gave up his posts as the top Republican on the Veteran Affairs Committee, Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, and Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests.

Now many may say that this is reasonable given that he did plead guilty to a crime.  But when comparing this case to that of Senator Vitter (R-LA) who recently admitted to the crime of soliciting prostitutes, how can this be anything other than rank hypocrisy? 

  • Vitter admits to soliciting heterosexual sex — no ethics investigation; keeps committee seats.
  • Craig admits (and now denies) soliciting homosexual sex — immediate ethics investigation; must give up committee seats.

Hmmm...now why do you suppose that is.

August 29, 2007 at 02:57 PM in Larry Craig |

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Comments

MountainGoat

Thanks t, for the heads up on the story.

Posted by: MountainGoat | August 29, 2007 at 03:06 PM

Sisyphus

I understand fellow Republicans actually gave Vitter an ovation after the allegations against him came to light, but they strip Craig of his committee seats. This issue will not go away with Craig's imminent resignation. This hypocrisy should follow the national Republicans all the way to next November.

Posted by: Sisyphus | August 29, 2007 at 03:07 PM

theresa

I think part of it is when the President has such low approval rating, and many R's already have so MUCH to distance themselves from...the desire to get rid of what they can is where the line is drawn.

(and happy to lend a hand MG)

t

Posted by: theresa | August 29, 2007 at 03:27 PM

Bill Sali Fan

Could it be... one was convicted of a crime, the other wasn't?

Posted by: Bill Sali Fan | August 29, 2007 at 04:24 PM

Sisyphus

Oh BSF, does an ethics probe require the filing and conviction of a crime before it can be investigated? Particularly where there is an admission of wrongdoing.

The distinction is interesting. Vitter admits his guilt but has not yet been criminally charged. Craig pleads guilty but protests he's innocent. Yet leadership ignores the self proclaimed guilty man and persecutes the one who seeks the benefit of a reasonable doubt.

Posted by: Sisyphus | August 29, 2007 at 04:49 PM

MountainGoat

BS Fan, that's really splitting a very fine hair. One man, while not technically convicted of a crime, admitted to being guilty of that crime. The other man, pleaded guilty to a crime although now claims to have done nothing wrong. Both crimes display a similar lack of judgment that is not in keeping with the character expected of a US Senator.

Not getting arrested doesn't absolve a Senator of adhering to certain standards of behavior; it does absolve him of the *criminal* consequences.

Posted by: MountainGoat | August 29, 2007 at 04:54 PM

Bill Sali Fan

Wait, Vitter wasn't convicted? And you're saying Sen. Craig was convicted? I thought it was the other way around.

Posted by: Bill Sali Fan | August 29, 2007 at 05:09 PM

MountainGoat

Yep, BS Fan that is correct. And by all accounts, Vitter was successful in his solicitation quest while Craig merely got to peek and play footsie in his.

Posted by: MountainGoat | August 29, 2007 at 07:41 PM

Alan

I think the key difference is that if Craig goes, an R will replace him. If Vitter goes, a D will replace him. It's more about politics than sexuality.

That's why the R's are after Wide Stance to resign now, to help the the safe R seat R.

Posted by: Alan | August 30, 2007 at 07:57 AM

MountainGoat

Alan, I totally agree that that's the reason many R's are seeking Craig's resignation and didn't ask for Vitter's. But removing him from committee posts during the ethics investigation is a little different.

Posted by: MountainGoat | August 30, 2007 at 08:19 AM

Sisyphus

Glenn Greenwald has a great article up this morning on the topic: http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/index.html

Posted by: Sisyphus | August 30, 2007 at 10:04 AM

The comments to this entry are closed.

MountainGoat
MountainGoat

Quotes For 2010

  • "The main thing is to keep everybody going down that road as we try to find the answers and solutions to all these problems. It'll be fun! We'll get it done." — Majority Leader Mike Moyle (R-Star) when asked in an Idaho Reports broadcast how the State House will handle making tough budget decisions this year, 1.29.10.

Quotes For 2009

  • "[Some politicians] wouldn't recognize the Constitution if it fell in their laps and called them Daddy." — Rep. Lenore Hardy Barrett (R-Challis) at a tea party tax protest.
  • "Just, you know, putting beans on the table." — former Congressman Bill Sali (R-ID-01) when asked by Nate Shelman (670 KBOI) what he's doing these days.
  • "I said yesterday we hope and pray things will get better before they get worse. It's obvious to me some of you need to do a better job of praying." — Sen. Dean Cameron (R-Rupert), Joint Finance-Appropriation Committee co-chair on the grim economic forecast facing the committee.
  • “We’ve been called a lot of things but we’ve never been called sneaks before.” — Rep. Maxine Bell (R-Jerome) in a budget dispute with the governor's staff over legislators' computer funding.
  • "I’m not wearing rose-tinted glasses. But I am a glass-half-full kind of guy." — Gov. C. L. "Butch" Otter attempting to remain optimistic while delivering tough economic news in his State of the State/Budget message.

Quotes For 2008

  • "I am not ashamed that we use a lot of energy in this country. It has made us the most prosperous Nation on the face of the planet. ... Using energy makes us prosperous." — Congressman Bill Sali (R-ID-01) during debate on an energy bill that, among other things, invested in alternative and renewable energy sources and repealed tax subsidies for large oil companies. (H.R.6899)
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  • "You know what, campaigns are fast and furious, I accept responsibility that we don't have the right citation there, but the facts I stand by - we are correct about that." — Congressman Bill Sali (R-ID-01) reacting to a campaign commercial fact-checking report.
  • "There are people out there without health care, and we need to address that, but it's not as big of a problem as some people would make it out to be" — Congressman Bill Sali (R-ID-01) in a Lewiston, ID debate
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  • "To my supporters, to my champions, to my sisterhood of the traveling pantsuits, from the bottom of my heart, thank you." — Senator Hillary Clinton in a speech at the 2008 DNC
  • "The America that we know, that the founding fathers envisioned, will cease to exist." — Congressman Bill Sali (R-ID-01) speaking at the state GOP convention about the possibility of a Democratically controlled White House and Congress.
  • "Sometimes the problems have to get larger before you can solve them. We can still drive around the potholes, so they must not be big enough." — House Speaker Lawerence Denney (R-Midvale), explaining that lawmakers still need to be convinced about the extent of road maintenance problems before they'll agree to tax or fee increases.
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  • "GARVEE is like swallowing a raw egg - it seems to be one of those things that's really hard to stop in the middle of." — Rep. Marv Hagedorn (R-Meridian), in comments on a package of transportation bills introduced by House GOP leaders at an emergency committee meeting.
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Quotes For 2007

  • "Divorce is just terrible. It's one of Satan's best tools to kill America." — Rep. Dick Harwood (R-St. Maries) describing the work of the Idaho Legislature's Family Task Force.
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  • “Most of the hospitals in this country have Christian names. If you think Hindu prayer is great, where are the Hindu hospitals in this country? Go down the list. Where are the atheist hospitals in this country? They’re not equal.” — Rep. Bill Sali (R-ID-01) to the Idaho Press-Tribune editorial board in response to criticism of his views regarding Hindu prayer in the Senate.
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  • "To get a kick out of smoking industrial hemp, it would take a cigar the size of a telephone pole." — Rep. Tom Trail (R-Moscow), downplaying the relation between hemp and its cousin marijuana
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  • "I say let's have a hearing and take our clothes off and go after it." — Rep. Jim Clark, R-Hayden Lake, trying to get lawmakers to print his bill.
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