GOP Abandons Lewd Larry Craig, Beg Him to Resign

Posted by Steve Benen at 6:33 AM on August 30, 2007.

This post, written by Steve Benen, originally appeared on The Carpetbagger Report

I guess yesterday's speech from Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) wasn't persuasive; the long knives are out.

Idaho Sen. Larry Craig's political support eroded significantly Wednesday when three fellow Republicans in Congress called for his resignation and party leaders pushed him from senior committee posts in the Senate.

The White House expressed disappointment -- and no support -- for the 62-year-old lawmaker, who pleaded guilty earlier this month to a charge stemming from an undercover police operation in an airport men's room.

Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Norm Coleman of Minnesota and Rep. Pete Hoekstra of Michigan all said Craig should give up his seat in Congress.

Hoekstra was the first to make the call, issuing a statement two hours ago that said Craig's "conduct throughout this matter has been inappropriate for a U.S. senator."

Then Coleman said in a written statement, "Senator Craig pled guilty to a crime involving conduct unbecoming a senator."

Not satisfied with a press release, McCain went on CNN to announce his belief that Craig "should resign" and explain why.

JOHN MCCAIN: I believe that he -- that he pled guilty and he had the opportunity to plead innocent. So I think he should resign.

JOHN KING: And suppose he comes back to Washington and says, "I want to serve."

MCCAIN: That's -- that will be a decision that he will make and most importantly, the people of the state of Idaho. But my opinion is that when you plead guilty to a crime, then you shouldn't serve. And that's not a moral stand. That's not a holier than thou. It's just a factual situation. I don't try to judge people, but in this case, it's clear that it was disgraceful.

As for the White House:

Larry Craig, meet Nouri al-Maliki: CNN is reporting that presidential spokesman Scott Stanzel issued a statement today in which he said that the White House is "disappointed" in what it's hearing, and that it's now up to Craig and the Senate's leaders to decide what to do next.

And what about Craig? What's he said today? Not too much, but a) legal experts seem to believe he's going to have a very tough time reversing his guilty plea; and b) he's already losing his grip on power in the Senate.

Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) has agreed to step down as the top Republican on the Veterans' Affairs Committee and two other subcommittees pending an investigation of his June arrest, according to a statement from GOP leaders in the Senate. It's the latest sign that congressional Republicans do not support their embattled colleague.

"Senator Larry Craig has agreed to comply with Leadership's request that he temporarily step down 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," reads a statement from GOP leadership. "This is not a decision we take lightly but we believe this is in the best interest of the Senate until this situation is resolved by the Ethics Committee."

It looks like Craig may soon have to decide to spend more time with his family.

Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), meanwhile, is extremely fortunate that Louisiana has a Democratic governor -- and that he illegally paid a female prostitute instead of illegally paying a male prostitute.

Tagged as: mccain, homophobia, republican hypocrisy, craig, gay republicans

Steve Benen is a freelance writer/researcher and creator of The Carpetbagger Report. In addition, he is the lead editor of Salon.com's Blog Report, and has been a contributor to Talking Points Memo, Washington Monthly, Crooks & Liars, The American Prospect, and the Guardian.