If you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas. That’s all the sense I can make of this whole thing.

This hard-core conservative Senator, of whom I had never even heard before the scandal broke, has been in federal politics for over 25 years, and been a Senator for 17. And now he’s gone. Why? Because he pled guilty to disorderly conduct?

The town next to ours has just elected a convicted FELON to the board of education. My local city councilman was arrested for DUI and refused to resign or even apologize, and he had the support of his fellow councilmembers. Paris freaking Hilton waltzed out of a prison sentence for drunk driving on the basis of being rich and famous. Clinton had that whole Lewinsky affair. And here poor Craig foolishly pled guilty to a misdeamenor. Other things being equal, who would you rather have as your rep, a felon, a career politician who may never been convicted of corruption but who you know perfectly well *should be*, or a guy who cops to misdeamenor disorderly conduct? I know who’d have my vote. Of course, I’d never vote for Craig regardless because I disagree with his politics, but that’s beside the point.

Disorderly conduct isn’t really what this is about, and we all know it. If he’d endangered the lives of everyone around him by driving under the influence, that would have been okay. He’d apologize, enter a posh rehab for a month, and win reelection. If he’d solicited a female he’d be dreadfully embarrassed but probably still employed. The problem is that he’s accused of being gay.

Why is that even an accusation?

Nevermind that now, point is the guy is accused of being gay. And that one accusation, coupled with his guilty plea, is what sank him. His good Republican friends couldn’t turn on him fast enough–otherwise they might catch the gay cooties. Romney, the GOP, the Governor of Idaho, they all wanted him gone.

According to Ontheissues.org Craig voted YES on prohibiting same-sex marriage, NO on prohibiting job discrimination by sexual orientation, NO on expanding hate crimes to include sexual orientation, NO on adding sexual orientation to definition of hate crimes, and YES on constitutional ban of same-sex marriage. And, of course, there’s his comment that he isn’t gay and never has been gay.

Why would a gay man take such pains to deny his gayness? Why would he turn on other men just like him, and then want them to have sex with him in a public bathroom, a place I barely want to wash my hands? Why would someone so smart and educated and powerful hate himself so much? Who taught him that being gay was that bad?

If Craig had been out about his sexuality, if he’d moved someplace with where voters consider sexual preference a private matter, he might never have gotten himself arrested, and he’d certainly still be a Senator. Craig may hate who he is and have hooked up with others who felt the same, but all that’s left him with is nothing.

If I accomplish little else, I hope to teach my daughter to accept herself for who she is. Because Larry Craig is the alternative.

For an interesting article on men like Craig, read this short article:
http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics/story/257536.html