Idaho Politics: Column
Larry Craig and the Code of the West
By Jill Kuraitis, 10-17-07
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Be glad you’re not Sen. Larry Craig’s public relations consultant today. If it was her idea to let NBC’s Matt Lauer interview Craig and his wife for an hour on national television, he’s due a refund.
The stunning miscalculation that more exposure for Craig would “set the record straight” defies common sense. It’s that when-you’re-in-a-hole-stop-digging thing.
Craig’s unctuous speaking style was on display for a whole hour, making a predictable over-rehearsed impression. It was two hours for those of us in Boise who first watched an hour of KTVB’s anchor Mark Johnson interview Craig with mostly softball questions, which also didn’t help Craig. Obvious is obvious.
Several times, Craig asked himself his own questions and then answered them, an old trick which guarantees you’ll be asked the questions you prefer. He repeated key phrases and themes: “Resigning would be the easy way out” “My dad taught me you never give up” which elicited groans from a group of citizens both Republican and Democrat, who were watching the interview at KIVI Channel 6, the ABC affiliate in Boise.
Craig’s insistence that the Minneapolis airport cop and the whole situation intimidated him into making bad decisions particularly bothers me. I know teenagers who have handled police encounters with more reason. Certainly adults know you never to plead to anything or say anything without a lawyer, even if you’re innocent. It’s something we teach our kids, for crying out loud. Certainly we should expect that a United States senator would handle himself with at least that much savvy and backbone.
Questioning Craig about his reversals regarding resigning his Senate seat, Johnson asked him if he was a “man of his word” – probably the issue of most concern to Idaho voters. “I don’t want to play a semantic game at all, Mark,” said Craig, who then played one anyway. Asked the same question by Lauer, Craig said, “It’s not a matter of being dishonest; it was that circumstances had shifted.”
But most telling was Craig’s relentless emphasis on saving himself and his reputation. He maintained that not resigning was best for Idaho, citing his seniority and committee seats and the millions of dollars he said he could bring home – forgetting to mention the that he’s lost his powerful assignments, making his point moot. He refused to acknowledge that he’s put Idaho on the ridicule radar. His apologies to Idaho contrasted with his “You know what? I’m staying” attitude make his words bogus. And his repeated use of the phrase, “I’m in the middle of an unprecedented media firestorm” show an inflated sense of self-importance which still has the power to shock.
“Unprecedented?” Compared to what - Nixon’s resignation? The murder of JFK? September 11?
No matter how many of the Craigs’ friends have offered their support and how many strangers hug Suzanne Craig in grocery stores, they should be smart enough to know that a close bubble of support doesn’t translate to a majority attitude.
Let’s remember what’s important about the Craig debacle – the truth. He didn’t tell the truth straight out, plain-like, and take his lumps. He didn’t say, “My bad. Gotta problem, going to resign to take care of it, I’m very sorry, thank you Idaho and God Bless America” – which would have led to a lot of forgiveness. If he is innocent, he could have said, “Made a mistake to plead guilty. Silly of me. I’m very sorry…” etc. He didn’t resign when he said he would. Instead he’s played the victim, ad nauseum.
So we’ll never know the Truth truth. Only, as Stephen Colbert would say, the truthiness.
Craig calls Idaho home, and keeping your word and taking things like a man are part of the code of the West. The right thing is for him to hang up his boots.
Great column, Jill. The feedback I'm getting from folks is best summed up in your latin term: "ad nauseum". He's making us sick. What a pretentious queen.
Comment By Tom von Alten, 10-17-07He's a "rancher and a farmer" who never did anything wrong in his life. His acute embarrassment at being wrongly accused of soliciting anonymous gay sex between toilet stalls in a public restroom is understandable.
And have you seen my classified ad for the bridges I have currently have listed for sale?
Here's the scene I wanted to see last night:
"Senator, if there really was no basis for the accusation, and you were in that restroom for its intended purpose, how can you possibly have us believe that you would have anything to be so embarrassed about that you'd try to keep this secret for weeks? I mean, you ran through the signals like a pro. One of them would be obviously dismissed. You might get lucky with two. But three in a row? Toe-tapping, sliding your foot into the next stall, and then the hand under the divider? Do you take us all for idiots, or what?"
Then when Craig recites his rehearsed schtick, Matt Lauer gets up, ripping the lavalier mike off his suit jacket and says, "that's it, we're done. This interview is over. I'm not going to sit here and listen to this nonsense another minute."
As others have said, puh-leeeze!
I think he dug himself in waaaay deeper with the very staged, make-me-seem human, TP-on-the shoe story. For one thing, this seemed to be a possible reversal of his earlier story about picking up a piece of paper off the floor. He didn't say anything earlier about it being TP stuck to his shoe.
And if it WAS on his shoe, wouldn't he slide his foot farther into his stall to remove it, rather than into the next guy's stall? Huh?
Sorry, Sen. Craig, we're not buying it. I don't think Matt Lauer was, either.
Another high point of the interviews was where he esplained hisself flashing his business card. He was taking out his wallet and the business card just happened to come out... not like he meant the police officer to look at it or anything.
"I see you're a U.S. Senator."
"Yeah, what do you think about that?"
Just the most casual, offhand comment that had nothing whatsoever to do with an attempt to assert rank or privilege.
Surprise, surprise, surprise, they didn't treat a U.S. Senator any better or worse than anyone else caught trolling.
Sometimes I think the entire self-righteous wing of the Republiican Party should fling itself into the Snake River Gorge in a noble act of group suicide...The similar wing of the Democrats should hike off the edge of El Capitan or Half-Dome in Yosemite. If only there was a litmus test for pretentiousness...
Comment By Bilbo, 10-17-07Has anyone asked the questions?
Where was Craig's gate in relation to the bathroom? In other words, did it make sense for him to be in that bathroom or was it out of his way?
Isn't it true that a season traveller does everthing in their power to never have to use an airport or airplane restroom for anything other than a quick pee? Why would an experienced traveller like Craig make the tactical error of having to drop em in a crummy airport bathroom?
What are the odds of a US Senator who has been accused of same sex shenanigans actually getting busted for same behavior in a bathroom sting?
Wouldn't a truly innocent man have exploded at being accused of such tawdry behavior and demanded an opportunity to clear his name?
Just wondering...
One thing is for sure: This will now become daily grist for the mill for another 2 years or so while this embarassment to Idaho makes its way through the Minnesota appeals process. Full employment for Leno, Letterman, Kimmel, SNL et. al. How much of this do we have to put up with? Do the right thing Larry, follow "our Western way of life" and quit it all while you have a shred of self respect left. Or not. And while you're at it go ahead and come out. It won't hurt a bit, at least not like what you've been through so far and are about to go through for the next 2 years. It has to beat public bathroom sex any day which is exactly all you will have left if you don't face up to this.
Comment By Liz Ryan, 10-17-07Great article. Here's a perfect example of a blowhard, self-important politician trying to contort himself into the victim role, and nobody's buying it. He had a chance to do the right thing - he had a lot of them, and he blew them all. Right now McGreevy is looking like a standup guy. Irony is that most people probably believe our police officers have better things to do than troll airport bathrooms for hookups. It's what Craig has done since his arrest and the inevitable news leak that makes him look so unsuitable for any public office, much less for anyone's respect.
Comment By Artist, 10-17-07I thought there was one very telling comment in the Matt Lauer interview. Craig said he was the "wall between the citizens and the government." I thought it was government by "we, the people" and that Craig was just our representative since , as a practical matter we can't all be in Washington DC at the same time. Congress, the President and the executive branch, the judiciary and all the beaurocrats are our representatives and our employees. As Harry Truman said the highest office in the land is that of citizen. How arrogant of Craig to think he is a self-appointed "protector" of the people rather than a conduit of their wishes.
Comment By James P. Hogan, 10-17-07If he did not do what the Minneapolis policeman claimed (in principle, that's a possibility, however unlikely) then his plea that he was guilty of something seems close to perjury, another offense. No?
Comment By Cindy Kessler, 10-17-07It still comes down to the fact that Craig is a hypocrite RE:He was a naughty, naughty,NASTY bad boy---period.
Comment By bearbait, 10-17-07So a very gay MP in Britain said it was a sad day when the law was changed to decriminilize public restroom (cottage), man with man sex. The kinder law took all the thrill out of the behaviour for the participants. The very real possibility of getting caught, being exposed, was central to the excitment and gratification of the behavior. So you have to wonder if the higher thrill for Craig would then be beating the rap....oh, what manner of man is this, who wears his manliness in.... a wide stance?
Comment By BS Detector, 10-18-07Same as Joey DiFatta in New Orleans. A Republican with "family values."
http://blog.nola.com/times-picayune/2007/10/difatta_twice_detained_in_lewd.html
I watched but did not listen to him. I keep noticing that he had a remarkable make up job done. I was wondering how I could improve my make up in the moring to look as good as his.
Comment By Grumpy ole man, 10-18-07Craig says that he is a victime of profiling. Let's see here, profiling is where police officials take longer and closer looks at someone because of his outward appearence, right? His color, or his behavior. So, exactly WHAT was it about our senior Senator that caused the police to watch him more closely? As a white male in my 60's I need to know this, so I can take the necessary steps to avoide being profiled, too.
Comment By Peter Webster, 10-18-07To avoid profiling, don't look like a rich greedy WASP male closet case.
Comment By Confuzzled, 10-18-07Well done article Jill! I don't think anyone can stand to watch this much longer, I feel like a highway gawker passing a particularly grisly accident. Compelled to look. But regretting it immediately!
Is there any way he can dig himself deeper still?
I have to say I felt really sorry for his wife during the interview,very uncomfortable body language there.
Has everyone puked yet???
Comment By mike, 10-19-07My understanding is that one of the few things that Craig is not contesting about this situation is that, when the arresting officer first confronted him and showed Craig his badge and before the officer even told him what was happening, Craig exclaimed that the officer had "entrapped" him. Now, it may just be my way of thinking; but, if a police officer knocked on the door of a stall that I was using in an airport restroom, my first thought was that there was some kind of security emergency in the airport and my first reaction would be to ask what was happening and assume that the officer was going to instruct me to go to a safe area. Alternately, I might ask what the problem might be; but, it would never cross my mind to immediately accuse the officer of entrapping me. The first words out of Craig's mouth would seem, at least to me, to verify his intent, to prove his extensive familiarity with those types of cruising activities, and to close the book on his lies and his hypocrisy.
Again, Craig and everyone else should be free to do as they please, but not to do it a public place potentially in the presence of underage boys and not to lie about it (or lie about the justification for an unwise and catastrophic war or about no-bid contracts since one lie begets another).
Larry, I voted for you twice - now get back under the bus!
Comment By Carolyn, 10-20-07As the Hamlet would say, "Methings My Lady doth protest too much."
Comment By mike, 10-22-07Jill Kuraitis,
You might be interested in this article on one of the most aggressive of Larry Craig's fellow "family values conservatives" and how his private life also does not match practically anything that he was supposed to stand for...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/21/AR2007102101643.html?nav=hcmodule&sub=new