Editorials_Should+He+Stay+or+Should+He+Go

“How clever you are, my dear! You never mean a single word you say.” At first, one would be tentative in linking anything Oscar Wilde (even a sentence) to the conservative “dignity” of the republican party, but, then again, how many hypocrites are there in Congress? Idaho’s Larry Craig is the latest right wing politician whose double life is costing his political career. Craig is accused of playing footsy with an undercover policeman in a Minneapolis public bathroom notorious for gay sex. Unlike David Vitter, who seems determined to remain in the Senate, Craig-- despite immense pressure from the GOP-- is undecided on whether to resign or stay in the Senate. Both Craig and Vitter are in the same situation and yet it is Craig who appears most under the gun by the GOP and the conservative media. Craig elicited lewd behavior in a men’s bathroom. Vitter “romanced” a prostitute on the side. Whether the scandal involves a man or a woman, it certainly does not involve their “family values.” These are two very powerful men who were initially voted into office to uphold the wants of their conservative constituents. What does this ongoing deception say about our other congressional members? As far as we know Rick Santorum could have been right there in the closet with Craig. In a turn of events that might never have occurred to Craig, he is now yoked with an openly gay democrat from a blue state. Barney Frank, a Massachusetts Congressman, was caught in another gay sex scandal, did not have to resign and is now one of the most powerful members of the House. The difference? The hypocrite question. Frank never advocated the so called “family values” of the right wing. Family values which abhor homosexuality. In an August 29th interview with Bill Maher Frank says, “Republicans do think [gay sex] is a crime, and I think there should be a right to privacy, but the right to privacy should not be a right to hypocrisy. People who want to demonize other people shouldn’t be able to then go home, close the door, and do it themselves.” (Click of this link for the full interview: [|full interview]). To the ordinary citizen, what is Craig’s crime? Is it his questionable sexuality or his hypocrisy? Should he stay or should he go? Republicans, still reeling from the gay scandal involving Senator Marc Foley and an underage page, cannot afford yet another gay scandal with their religious right- wing supporters. Craig presented himself as somebody he is not. At a time when the House and Senate are under severe scrutiny from the media, Craig’s inconsistency affects more than his political standing. Throughout his run in office, Craig has been a strong proponent for anti- gay laws. Publicly, Craig denounces homosexuality, but privately he indulges it. (Click on the link for his full voting record:[|voting record][|).] This is not only sad for his family, but it is also sad for the voter. Obviously, a man’s personal life should be private, but when he deliberately deceives his voters, it becomes an entirely different situation. Who care’s that he’s gay. He’s a hypocrite. His previous votes on civil rights is measure nothing of his true character (or perhaps they measure too much). So Larry Craig may join the ranks of pop star George Michael and Pee Wee Herman as being known more as a furtive sexual exploit than as a conservative Senator from Idaho. I’m sure this is not the way he expected to go down in history.