Idaho Politics: Commentary
Craig Forgets Idaho With His Egotistic Decision
By Jill Kuraitis, 10-04-07
Sen. Larry Craig’s refusal to resign his seat to serve out his full term until January 2009 is the egoistic act of a self-glorifying man.
In Craig’s statement declaring his decision, he says, “Over the course of my three terms in the Senate and five terms in the House, I have accumulated seniority and important committee assignments that are valuable to Idaho, not the least of which are my seats on the Appropriations Committee, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the Veterans’ Affairs Committee. A replacement would be highly unlikely to obtain these posts.
“In addition, I will continue my effort to clear my name in the Senate Ethics Committee - something that is not possible if I am not serving in the Senate.”
His words have a Nixonian, bunker-mentality ring of self-insulation. Craig forgets his responsibilities to his constituents and the state of Idaho; he forgets he’s been stripped of his committee power and can likely accomplish nothing as he stays in Washington. In his disastrous September press conference, he said that he could not be effective under the circumstances. This is also apparently forgotten.
He forgets that he’s lied and manipulated his way through this mess-of-his-own-making. He won’t resign, he intends to resign September 30, he won’t make a decision until the court rules; he’s staying, but he won’t run for reelection.
Is Craig to be believed this time? His pattern of doing precisely what his party and constituents don’t expect him to do leaves open questions about his motives and his ability to think clearly. His expectation that he can serve effectively another whole year is unrealistic. It wouldn’t be that surprising if he decides to run as a write-in candidate, after he gives it some thought.
Even more selfish is his assertion that he must stay in the Senate so he can fight the Ethics Committee charges against him. It’s a stunningly self-indulgent motive which ignores the mission and job description of a United States senator, and one which ungratefully dismisses the tens of thousands of people who voted for him, contributed to his campaigns, and volunteered their time to elect him.
Though it may go too far to say his thinking is delusional, when does a guy in his position understand he’s seen as a fool?
It’s not about you, Larry.
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The bad news is that our new senator will be tied for least seniority with the rest of the incoming "class of 2015." Will the benefits of Craig's accomplishments between now and January 2009 exceed that cost from 2009-2011? I doubt it.
But then, given Craig's history of accomplishments, perhaps less is more.
Last December, I sent a well-developed suggestion to Sen. Larry Craig's office calling for a feasibility study over transforming the land where Friedman Airport in Hailey stands into an innovative healing clinic for our war veterans once the airport relocates. I received an immediate auto reply, but nothing more. Since he is /was a ranking committee member of the Veteran’s affairs committee, I was expecting more from Sen. Craig.
Since then, I have invested much time contacting leaders in the Wood River Valley, at mid-levels in the Pentagon, in veterans' chat rooms, The College of Southern Idaho (in conjunction with potentially expanding their nursing center), and other pertinent places. After receiving positive feedback, I revised the proposal and in early September sent this in to Sen. Craig in hopes that he might also embrace it. Therefore, it was with some chagrin that I read in recent news accounts that perhaps he was too busy with his personal battles to have made the time to read my proposition.
I hope Mr. Craig proves my suspicions unfounded by responding to my suggestion. After all, what should be more important to us than the health of those who have patriotically served our county?
Here is a link to my revised suggestion:
http://www.woodriverjournal.com/articles/2007/07/31/features/sockdolagers/sockdolagers.prt
Take a look at the money that has been raised so fair in the presidential race. The people putting up that money expect something for their money, and those are the people who frighten me. I really want to know how Hsu got so much money and passed it around so freely for so long, who is behind it and why were they even interested in a small town politician like Tester? I realize most of the posters on this site are much more left leaning than I am, but I would be just as interested in where the money was was coming from if it had been the other way. I was very happy to see Abramhoff and his cronies get nailed. I really would have thought somebody would have been just as concerned about Hsu, especially with his china connections. I have done some internet searching, and no one actually knows what his immigrant status is. He showed up at school and everyone assumed he was legal, but NO body seems to know, there seem to be no papers or anything official, and he obviously goes back and forth pretty freely.
I would think there would be a Pulitzer for the journalist who really delved into this.
Lest we forget: The following Democrat members of Congress have been involved in scandal or have committed crimes: Harrison A. Williams, John Murphy, William Jefferson, Dennis DeConcini, Mike Foley, James Traficant, Partick Kennedy, Dan Rostinkowski,Cynthia McKinney, Wilbur Mills, Adam Clayton Powell, Michael Meyers, Allan Cranston, Donald Riegle, Dannal Inouye, Floyd Flake, Harold Ford Jr, Gus Savage, Barney Frank, Brock Adams, Fred Richardson, John Young, Wayne Hayes, Gerry Studds, Mel Reynolds, Teddy Kennedy and others.
You're my hero.
This is like complaining about the US using torture techniques while condemning other countries for using those same techniques. It isn't the same, because when it is the US doing it, we're doing it for Good, not for Evil.
So when you are casting those stones from your elite liberal glass houses, make sure that you've cleaned up all your state Democrats before hand. Oh, wait, you mean there are no state Democrats involved in a scandal to clean up? There are no Democrats lying to you about trying to get a little man love in a hidden corner of a major airport or train station?
Well, then, we'd just better castigate Bill Clinton some more. Here, let me get you started, Democrats:
b-b-b-b-b-b-But Clinton!!!!!
William Jefferson: Under indictment and senate ethics investigation, stripped of all of his committee appointments.
Ted Kennedy: Driving while possibly intoxicated (he's a Kennedy, enough said) and then left a poor girl to drown in the car that he himself drove (purposely, probably) into a river. Found not-guilty, but again, he's a Kennedy and probably owns the Judge.
Hillary Clinton: Given the amount of scandals surrounding her past, it is improbable that all of them are false, and those that are false are probably laid down by her Chinese supporters. Whitewatergate, Vincegate, Chinagate, AirforceOnegate, you name it, the Clintons have been in on it. And this is the front-runner for your party? Says a lot about Democrats, doesn't it?
Sandy Socks Bergher: Shoving worthless copies of secret documents into his clothing in an effort to hide his involvement in multiple scandals.
Hsu: the depth of this guy's involvement in multiple scandals remains to be seen, yet most Conservatives are sure that he's a criminal mastermind that will get a clean slate and citizenship when/if Hitlery is elected.
Obama: Friend of radical islamists, educated by Mulahs. How can we trust this guy?
Al Gore: Accepting mass quantities of illegal campaign donations from Chinese communists hell bent on creating a socialist utopia in America so they can take over without force.
Cynthia McKinny: Have you seen her hair? No serious Republican would ever be caught looking like that. Maybe Imus only called out the wrong people.
Janet Reno: Despite being the uglies human on the face of the earth, managed to order the deaths of hundreds of innocents in Waco, as well as kidnapping an American child and sending him to the godless Communists in Cuba.
Barney Frank: Running a child prostitution ring out of his apartment that he shared with his gay lover, yet the Democrats love him!
Charley Rangel: The State of NY is honoring his criminal enterprise by building him his own library wing with offices where he can indoctrinate future Democrats using tax payer dollars.
And there are so many more, yet the Democrats want to attack a good man like Larry Craig who was falsely entrapped by a homosexual cop that was hell bent on getting his face on the TV. For shame, you Democrats, you need to clean up your own party before you can even remotely attempt to tell us how to take care of ours.
If Craig keeps his Senate seat, he can make some claims about immunity from having to testify and release documents that might indict him in a bribery scandal.
Keep this in mind while you wonder why he is trying to keep his "wide stance" as a member of the senate.
Craig still got caught in soliciting sex. He still rattles about moral values and patriotism and family values and every other neo-con con in the book. It doesn't matter, in this case, what others have done—or will do. Just because Willie Sutton robbed banks doesn't mean that Joe Smith can rob banks or is less guilty.
Will somebody convince Craig and his "supporters" that denial isn't just a river in Egypt? Steer him to Sexaholics Anonymous or somewhere.
It's also one of the most obvious red herrings I've seen drug across the subject. It's even a non-sequitor. Good work!
One thing Staff Sgt Bob T. Bilter might be interested in after his rant was that unlike many people in favor of the mess in Iraq Charlie Rangel enlisted in the Army in 1948, served in heavy combat in Korea receiving both the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star for Valor. He left the Army in 1952 as a Staff Sgt. Guess you two have a bit in common.
Was it entrapment? hell yes Police departments do it all the time. That is why the ACLU has taken this case on. It would be quite ironic if they were to get him cleared as they got Oliver North's conviction overturned, defended Rush Limbaugh for "doctor shopping" and Sean Hannity for his right to free speech.
Staff Sgt., your allegations come from the same sources as Sweed7's rhetoric.
But, you know, there's nothing wrong with being wrong. Just like there's nothing wrong with Senator Craig being gay.
The retention of Ted Kennedy, Barney Frank, Gary Studs, and William Jefferson etc. sullies the whole Democrat party. I like the fact that we flush when it is appropriate do so.
Daryl L. Hunter
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/14281277/detail.html
One could also argue that Jefferson is fighting the indictment, while Larry Craig initially pleaded guilty and is now shilly-shallying about whether he's guilty or innocent, and whether he should stay or go.
Are you suggesting that if Democrats do it, too, that violating the law should be okay for a Republican member of Congress to do?
And some other family values right-ist took a fall down in LA over soliciting sex in a toilet.