Sen. Craig: "I'm Not Gay, I Never Have Been Gay"

This post, written by Pam Spaulding, originally appeared on Pam's House Blend

[4:40: Oh lord, he's denying it all, blaming the Idaho Statesman, and said categorically that he is not gay ("I've never been gay.". He has not yet decided on whether he's running for re-election. He took no questions. OK, boys, if you've done Sen. Craig in a washroom, this is a Gary Hart moment. He's seeking counsel now. How on earth can you plead guilty by mistake!]

ABC News is reporting that Larry Craig will hold a press conference today. The local fundies and much of the right wing are calling for his head.

His future in doubt, allies denouncing his behavior and former staffers voicing disbelief at his arrest, Senator Larry Craig, R-Idaho, is expected to hold a press conference this afternoon that may answer questions about his political future.

..."If the accusations are true, then we think that he needs to resign," Bryan Fischer, the executive director of the Idaho Values Alliance told ABCNews.com. "We believe that character is an important qualification for public service and we believe if these accounts are true, then the Senator conduct has fallen short of what we should expect from public officials."

So, what do you think Craig's going to say? Will he be: 1) insanely defiant (a la Bob Allen), 2) resign, 3) say he's heading to the nearest ex-gay or booze rehab facility/say he's found Jesus?

UPDATE: CREW has filed an ethics complaint with the Senate ethics committee against Craig, calling for an investigation into whether the senator violated the Senate Rules of Conduct for his restroom sexual foray.]

It just keeps getting better and better. PageOneQ has a letter sent to a constituent from Larry Craig propping up the ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military:

PageOneQ has received an exclusive copy of a letter written by Idaho GOP Senator and veteran Larry Craig to a constituent. The letter is dated just eleven days after his admission of guilt in connection with a Minnesota men's room sex sting. It expresses Craig's vehement opposition to repealing the US military's embattled Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy, which bars gay and lesbian servicemembers from serving their country openly. The U.S. Senator from Idaho also sits on the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Steve Ralls at The Frontlines:

In what could be called another of Craig's "he said/he said situations," the Senator corresponded with a constituent (and SLDN supporter) earlier this month about why he'd never support repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." In the August 17 letter to his constituent, Craig wrote that, "The armed forces exist to wage war. It is unacceptable to risk the lives of American soldiers and sailors merely to accommodate the sexual lifestyles of certain individuals." He also noted that, "I don't believe the military should be a place for social experimentation."

But wait, there's more: Craig once helped boot GOP senator for sexual harassment.

When the ethics committee voted to boot Bob Packwood from the Senate for lewd sexual harassment in 1995, Sen. Larry Craig lamented the difficult decision, but called it "the right one."

After Packwood resigned the next day, Craig, then a member of the Senate ethics committee, shared a tearful embrace with his former colleague.

"One particularly poignant moment came during an exchange between Packwood and Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, a member of the Ethics panel," Edwin Chen reported in the Los Angeles Times Sept. 8, 1995. "Afterward, they shook hands and hugged one another. Then Craig began sobbing and quickly strode into the GOP cloakroom, his hands covering his face."