I wonder about the state of our nation when a United States senator is railroaded from office (by his own party) for brushing his hand against a bathroom stall at an airport. Of course I am talking about Sen. Larry Craig, the Idaho Republican and NRA board memer, who resigned todayunder pressure over his misdemeanor conviction of lewd conduct, under the suspicion that he is homosexual.
Craig denied he was gay on Tuesday. Party bosses were concerned that his apparent plan to fight the criticism of his misdemanor plea bargain last June in Minneapolis would hurt Republicans in upcoming elections. Do they really think his resignation will somehow erase any negative impact this might have?
I listened to the audio tape of the police interrogation of Sen. Craig when he was arrested. What struck me was not the senator's explanation of events -- frankly, it seemed plausible and clearly established a reasonable doubt -- but rather the heavy handedness of the arresting officer who tried to cajole a confession from Craig. It made NYPD Blue's Andy Sipowicz's techniques look like those of a school girl.
(Note: The evidence cited by police in support of their charge that Craig was soliciting an undercover officer for sex included their statement that Craig entered the toilet stall and positioned his carry-on luggage behind the bathroom stall door, so that no one from outside could see underneath it. This absurd conclusion ignores the fact that almost all air travelers do the same, because there is no where else to put it when one needs to take a crap at an airport. Leaving it outside only results in police confiscating the "abandoned" bag, blowing it up on some firing range and arresting the owner for violating some TSA rule).
It was apparent on the audio tape that the police officer used Sen. Craig's status -- and obvious fear that the arrest would harm him politically, to convince him to plead guilty to a lesser misdemeanor charge. The officer repeatedly told Craig he would not go to the news media about it. But it was clear to both the interrogator and the interrogatee that Craig's political career held in the balance, and under this pressure Craig pleaded guilty to what amounted to a traffic ticket.
Of course such things do not go unnoticed. And two months later the plea comes to light. Craig resigns because of politics. But was the public served by his resignation -- or merely the whims of party bosses?
I don't think so. If Sen. Craig was good enough to serve Idahoans before June, then a misunderstanding over a bump of feet or reaching for a piece of toilet paper in a crowded airport bathroom surely does not make him unfit for office afterward. I don't care whether he's as gay as Rock Hudson.
The homophobic nature of many Americans causes us to believe gay men are sexual predators. The actions of the Republican party to run Craig out of office -- whether he is gay or not -- is disappointing, because it does nothing but perpetuate that myth. And more imporantly to me, it merely shows that getting elected, or re-elected is more important to political leaders in America today, than governing.
