Joe Sonka October 3rd, 2007
(crossposted at BlueGrassRoots)
Well, it appears that Sen. Larry Craig is intent on sticking around in his seat, wide-stance and all, to the dismay of his Republican Senate colleagues. Wanting to avoid another Mark Foley scandal that sticks with the party’s image, Mitch McConnell is doing what he does best. Threatening a sleazy personal attack on Sen. Craig. From The Nation:
But Idaho is not McConnell’s biggest concern. He and his aides are more worried that the sordid stories associated with Craig, as well as his continued presence in the GOP caucus, will further erode enthusiasm among evangelical Christians and social conservatives for the party’s candidates. The fear a scenario similar to the one that played out when Florida Congressman Mark Foley’s page-boy scandal highlighted hypocrisy in the GOP ranks shortly before the 2006 election.
The threat faced by McConnell — himself up for reelection in 2008 — is real. And so to is the threat they are now preparing to direct at Craig. According to the Washington Post, McConnell is “threatening to notch up the public humiliation” in order to force the Idaho senator to quickly quit. What does that mean? Republican strategists quietly acknowledge that McConnell is talking about ginning up an open-to-the-media ethics committee inquiry with full public hearings designed to examine the many allegations regarding Craig’s sexuality and sex life.
Yes, that would be an open-to-the-media ethics committee inquiry with full public hearings about a rather mild sexual misdemeanor (”see, Christian Right? We really do hate the gays!”). I mean, what type of open hearing or investigation could possibly be more important than that?
Whoa! An open ethics hearing? This is an option now? Really? So, if Senate leadership wanted to call for an open ethics hearing on David Vitter’s past solicitation of prostitutes or Ted Stevens’ possibly taking bribes for getting earmarks placed or Lisa Murkowski’s sweetheart land deal or Pete Domenici’s inappropriate contact with former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias or Susan Collins’ possibly inappropriate use of taxpayer-funded Senate resources for political campaign purposes, they could do that? In that case, open ethics hearings for all!
Well duh! Manly heterosexual “fantasy” and pay for play bribery are the guiding principles of the Republican Party. Where’s the crime in that? If a Republican can’t even have his diaper changed by a lady prostitute, take bribes for earmarks, or out a CIA operative for revenge, what the hell has this country come too? Why, its the criminalization of politics I say! An outrage! Outrageous!
And by the way Mitch, that quote above? - “Republican strategists quietly acknowledge that McConnell is talking about ginning up an open-to-the-media ethics committee inquiry with full public hearings designed to examine the many allegations regarding Craig’s sexuality and sex“. I’ll just hold onto that for a while. You never know when that might come in handy.
