Craig’s Statement Here

Well, the judge decided he couldn’t trust the legal system to unearth the truth of what happened to Craig (no need to link on this item, so many stories out there). The 20 page ‘decision’ shows a judge desperate to defend his decision. This is a misdemeanor charge! It doesn’t require a 20 page opinion. The judge just let everyone know he was going to fight even his view of what justice is about. Why else spend so much time and effort convincing himself?

Craig is still resigning, at the end of his term. And that, is the end of that. While I am in full favor of a house cleaning in Congress, I want to see the shrill hardliners out and more pragmaic centrists in. Craig was, sadly, more of the latter. But Idaho does produce people who are salt-of-the-earth types who have more interest in principles than fame. There are some outstanding GOP contenders in Idaho, so that is not an issue.

The fact the GOP cannot accept this and are planning a senate show trial is, however, probably the last straw with the spineless GOP. There is such a thing as ‘no comment’ and ‘that is a personal decision’. But no, the GOP could not step back and simply let it end. They have to take the whole mess onto the TV screens across the nation:

Craig will now face the full glare of a Senate Ethics Committee investigation and the ire of Republican Senate leaders, who say they feel as though he’s gone back on his promise to step down after news broke of his arrest on charges that he solicited sex from an uncover police officer in the men’s room of the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport.

“He gave us his word that he would resign,” said Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., who’s in charge of the GOP’s 2008 Senate election fundraising. “I’m calling on Senator Craig to keep his word. If he loves his party, and he loves the Senate, the honorable thing to do is to resign.”

John Ensign has just elevated himself to my ‘please elect someone else’ list. Ensign made a promise to defend this nation and he should have much more pressing concerns than getting in front of the media discussing Senator Craig’s word of honor. The GOP purists have little to no honor after all their name calling, calls of treason and calls for impeachment. If Ensign ‘loved his party’ he would shut up. But I, thankfully, am not of his party so in the end how badly the GOP screws itself over on this one is irrelevant.

The fact is the GOP is going to self destruct in this show trial and the Dems are going to be holding their hands all the way throught the pending disaster. It is a misdemeanor charge, not a crime against God, country or party! Ensign sounds like a nag. No wonder the amnesty hypochondriacs flip out all the time. Here’s the message: Americans even violate a misdemeanor you can be drawn and quartered – career wise. One thing America hates is sticklers for every rule and law those who want to draw maximum blood for the smallest infraction. That will be the first wound on the GOP – they will firm up their reputation as the nags who want everyone living in a police state which enforces every minor law to ridiculous extremes.

Next is the back-stabber image. In a time of war, dedication to one’s allies and comrades is paramount. It is simple context and comparison. Our military out in the streets of Iraq covering each other as they do the nation’s bidding (yes Congress – you authorized this action) compared to the GOP and its dealings with Craig. The comparison is stunning to think about. People make mistakes – and I am talking minor mistakes here. Tactical decisions that looked good initially but turned out bad in hindsight. Mistakes are not crimes. If you think war is mistake-free you get your history from comic books. Everyone knows people make mistakes and can die from them. But you stand by them and help them not make any more mistakes. Mistakes are not crimes.

Right now the GOP looks to be the worst fair-weather ally anyone could ever think of dealing with. Again, it is a misdemeanor. Even if the Senate ethics board found him guilty (which they can’t of course) it is the same as a speeding ticket. The Senate is barred from taking any action on this except a vacuous vote about its displeasure. In a time of war people are going to wonder what is wrong with a Senate that can’t deal with the raging wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, can’t get budget bills passed without political dumb tricks, but they can have a show trial over a dumb ticket about public behavior.

So the GOP will come off looking like distracted nags who can only come together to wring their hands over a misdemeanor ticket, but cannot be trusted as solid allies in facinf this country’s greatest issues and causes because they are obsessed with enforcing the minutiae of law. Yeah, there’s a plan! Geez, this is actually turning into a Class A, one-for-the-history-books joke.