Larry Craig Continues to Steal Petraeus' Press

This post, written by Howie Klein, originally appeared on Down With Tyranny!

While the Bush Regime and it's rubber stamp supporters were desperately trying to pass David Petraeus off as the end-word of all things Iraq, the Larry Craig Show continued to dominate the headlines. Craig managed to do what Code Pink couldn't. As Bush's latest hapless general lied his way through a propaganda offensive in Congress, Senator Craig dominated the traditional media with his sordid and pornographic autobiography. Craig, who was arrested in a public toilet a few weeks ago trying to make whoopy with a hottie police decoy in the kind of sting only right-wing Republicans support, wants to withdraw his guilty plea. In fact, his lawyers filed paperwork yesterday morning saying he "mistakenly pleaded guilty" because he was stressed out.

According to papers filed in Hennepin County, Minnesota, District Court, Craig was in a "state of intense anxiety" following his arrest and "felt compelled to grasp the lifeline offered to him by the police officer." The senator pleaded guilty in hopes the matter would not be made public, the court documents said.

...Patrick Hogan of the Metropolitan Airports Commission said the prosecutor will oppose Craig's motion, according to The Associated Press. The commission runs the airport and handled the prosecution of the case.

"We do feel we have a strong case, and he's already made his plea, and it's been accepted by the court," Hogan told the AP. "From our standpoint, this is already a done deal. Mr. Craig was arrested and signed a guilty plea, and from our standpoint, this case is already over."

...Craig was not "thinking clearly, and he waived his constitutional rights, and we're asking that to be reversed," Martin said.

Almost 70% of Americans think Craig should resign-- for real. He keeps changing his mind, vexing Republicans who want all news focused on the Bush Regime propaganda barrage about Iraq. An OpEd in yesterday's USAToday calling on Senator Craig to not resign is exactly what the GOP was hoping to avoid. It accuses McConnell and the rest of the Republican Senate caucus of degenerating into nothing more than "a Wild West mob... Republicans attacking Craig remind me of sharks during an eating frenzy."

A few days ago a story in the Salt Lake Tribune highlights how the Republican Party is being seriously damaged by the drawing out of the Larry Craig saga.

The GOP lost its majorities in both houses of Congress last year due, in part, to the public release of inappropriately suggestive e-mails sent to young male pages by Republican Rep. Mark Foley and the ho-hum response to that scandal by Foley's Republican comrades.

The Republicans already stand a good chance of losing more ground in the Senate, since 22 of the 34 seats in play next year currently are held by the GOP. One state that was impossible for the Republicans to lose was Idaho-- until now.