Idaho Politics: Commentary

Statesman Hands Larry Craig a Dismal Day

By Jill Kuraitis, 12-02-07

Boiseans woke up Sunday to a whale of a story by Dan Popkey in the Idaho Statesman: four named men and a few unnamed have come forward with their tales of having sexual encounters with Idaho Sen. Larry Craig.

All of the men seem motivated by Craig’s negative voting record on gay rights and his statement at an August press conference, “I am not gay; I never have been gay.”

Without video of the actual encounters, their stories can’t be proved, but as Popkey writes, they can’t be disproved, either.  He’s researched Craig’s travel schedules to pinpoint whether or not Craig could have been in the named locations at the time of the encounters. He’s done the same for the sources, along with background checks.  He’s highlighted the similarities between their stories and previously reported details.

Commendably, the Statesman has posted the audio of interviews with the men.

Statesman Executive Editor Vicki Gowler’s explanation for why the paper ran the story includes this:  “As with our August report, we didn’t rush to print these stories. We’ve spent several months checking out the men’s backgrounds and details of their accounts. We believe it’s important for you to know what we’ve learned, and to hear the men’s own words at IdahoStatesman.com.”

UPDATE: The Associated Press receieved an email on Sunday in which the senator says the latest allegations are “completely false” and that he won’t step down.

By now, calling for Craig’s resignation is an old story; a tired line. But just for the record, I repeat: get out of town, Larry. 

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