By CHARLES BABINGTON, Associated Press Writer
October 5, 2007
WASHINGTON - Facing untimely resignations, an unpopular war
and a troubling 2008 election landscape, Senate Republicans
didn't need another headache this week.
But they got one anyway when Sen. Larry Craig vowed Thursday
to serve out the last 15 months of his term, despite a court
ruling that left intact his guilty plea in a sex sting operation.
The Idaho Republican's decision gives his GOP colleagues two
unpleasant choices. They can resume pressuring him to leave,
and risk being seen as disloyal politicians who go harder on
alleged homosexual misdeeds than on heterosexual wrongdoings.
Or they can basically ignore him for months, and endure more
TV comics' taunts about a conservative senator convicted in
a case involving public bathroom stalls.
Judging from comments in the first hours after Craig's announcement,
Republican senators were unsure exactly where to land. Outright
confrontation with Craig, however, seems unlikely.
Craig's lawyer Stanley Brand said the Senate traditionally
has shied away from disciplining members for misdemeanors unrelated
to their duties and might be unwise to cross that line now.
"Are they going to begin to take up misdemeanor cases
as a matter of course?" Brand said Friday on NBC's "Today" show. "That's
going to put a lot of other people in serious jeopardy down
the road."
Five weeks ago, Craig announced his intent to resign Sept.
30 if he could not have his guilty plea rescinded. But Craig,
who bridled at colleagues' not-so-subtle hints to leave, reneged
on the deal Thursday.
"I have seen that it is possible for me to work here
effectively," he said in a statement. He vowed not to
seek a fourth term in November 2008, and the seat is likely
to stay in Republican hands.
But his continued presence in the Senate obviously annoys
Republicans facing tough campaigns in a year in which GOP scandals
are emerging as a Democratic theme.
"Senator Craig gave us his word" that he would resign
by Sept. 30 if he could not overturn the guilty plea, said
Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., who chairs the GOP campaign committee
overseeing next year's Senate elections. "I wish he would
stick to his word."
"It's embarrassing for the Senate, it's embarrassing
for his party," Ensign said. Asked if Craig's staying
would be a distraction for the party, Ensign said: "It
may be a personal distraction for me."
Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., who faces a tough re-election
campaign next year in a state where opposition to the Iraq
war is strong, spoke with reporters Thursday before Craig announced
his plans to stay and fight.
"I would hope that he would live up to what he said he
would do not put the Senate through the wringer on this, respect
the institution," Coleman said. "Clearly, his ability
to serve his people was severely compromised."
The White House stayed out of the controversy Friday. "We
think this is a decision between Senator Craig, his constituents,
his colleagues in the Senate," deputy press secretary
Tony Fratto said.
Some Republicans feel that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell,
R-Ky., went too far in late August when he called Craig's actions
that led to his arrest "unforgivable."
Commentators and activist groups contrasted the reaction to
the welcome that GOP leaders gave Sen. David Vitter, R-La.,
after he apologized for his phone number turning up in a list
of clients for an alleged call-girl operation.
McConnell had little to say Thursday. "That whole matter
is before the Senate Ethics Committee, and will be dealt with
by Senator Craig and the ethics committee," he told reporters.
Craig, 62, was arrested June 11 in a men's room in the Minneapolis
airport by an undercover officer. The officer said Craig exhibited
behavior consistent with seeking a sexual encounter.
Craig said he had panicked when arrested, and pleaded guilty
by mail on Aug. 1 to disorderly conduct because an Idaho newspaper
had been aggressively investigating allegations that he was
gay. Craig says he is not gay.
His arrest and guilty plea were reported Aug. 27 by Roll Call.
In September, Craig hired a high-profile legal team and asked
that his guilty plea be rescinded, which would clear the way
for a trial.
But in Minnesota on Thursday, Hennepin County Judge Charles
Porter ruled: "Because the defendant's plea was accurate,
voluntary and intelligent, and because the conviction is supported
by the evidence ... the defendant's motion to withdraw his
guilty plea is denied."
Craig, who did not show up for a Senate vote late Thursday
after issuing his statement, said he was disappointed, and
suggested he might appeal. "I am innocent of the charges
against me," he said in the statement.
While most Republican senators were mum Thursday, Sen. Mike
Crapo, R-Idaho, again spoke up for his friend. Craig "has
the right to pursue his legal options as does any citizen,
and I support his effort," Crapo said.
Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., who had encouraged Craig to try
to overturn his plea, told reporters that his colleague had
the right to stay in office. "Disorderly conduct is not
moral turpitude," Specter said, "and is not a basis
for leaving the Senate."
"I don't think it reflects on the party at all," Specter
said. "Larry Craig is an individual. He doesn't represent
the party or any other individual senator or any Republican.
The conduct which is described here at worst is disorderly
conduct. I don't know what his sexual preference is. It's not
relevant to the issue in any respect."
Republicans are bracing for a difficult election. Democrats
believe they have solid chances to replace retiring GOP senators
in Virginia, Colorado, New Mexico and possibly Nebraska. Republican
incumbents facing tough fights include Coleman, John Sununu
of New Hampshire and Susan Collins of Maine.
Meanwhile, the bipartisan Senate ethics panel is gearing up
for possible hearings into Craig's case, a step requested by
Republican leaders when they were trying to persuade the senator
to step down.
If the hearings go forward, and are televised, it will mark
another setback for a party aching for some good news.
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