Larry Craig Resigns From Senate

Idaho Republican Announces Departure Effective Sept. 30, After Calls From Within Party To Quit Over Arrest

(CBS/AP)  In a subdued ending to a week of startling political theater, Sen. Larry Craig announced his resignation Saturday, bowing to pressure from fellow Republicans worried about damage from his arrest and guilty plea in a gay sex sting.

"I apologize for what I have caused," Craig said, his wife Suzanne and two of their three children at his side with a historic Boise train station as backdrop. "I am deeply sorry."

Craig, 62, said he would resign effective Sept. 30, ending a career in Congress spanning a quarter-century.

Making no specific mention of the incident that triggered his disgrace in his remarks, he spoke for under six minutes and took no questions.

Among those attending was Republican Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter, who will appoint a successor for the remaining 15 months of Craig's term.

It was a relatively quick end to a drama that began Monday with the stunning disclosure that Craig had pleaded guilty to a reduced charge following his arrest June 11 in a Minneapolis airport men's room.

Craig at first tried to hold on to his position, contending in a public appearance on Tuesday that he had done nothing inappropriate and that his only mistake was pleading guilty Aug. 1 to the misdemeanor charge.

"In his 27 years in Congress, Craig has been a staunch conservative," reports CBS News correspondent Dan Raviv. "Among other issues, he supported a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and voted against expanding hate-crime laws to include 'sexual orientation.'"

Raviv adds, "Craig was a loyal Republican, but top Republicans didn't give him an ounce of support this week."

Rather, a growing chorus of leading GOP leaders called for him to step down, to spare the party further embarrassment and possible harm in next year's elections.

"The last thing the Republicans want is to even move into this process - which is starting early - with this overhang of a possible sex scandal," CBS News chief political analyst Jeff Greenfield said. "On top of the fact that they've got an unpopular president, a divisive war, they’ve got 22 to 34 seats to defend. They’ve got enough on their plate."

The prospect of Craig's resignation was met with approval by Idahoan Don Cornell, who told CBS News, "We're hoping for it. He hadn’t been up-front, totally. And If he'd been up-front totally maybe it wouldn't be such a big deal."

Cornell said he was never a big supporter of Craig, but he told CBS News correspondent Stephan Kaufman that no matter what Craig might be guilty of, he should still stand up for what he feel is right.

"Maybe he should fight it," Cornell said. "Maybe he was entrapped a bit, who knows? If it was my credibility on the line I probably wouldn’t cave in like that."

But Cornell admitted that perhaps it was time for Craig to leave, given the damage to his credibility.

Otter said Saturday he has not chosen a replacement, although several Republicans familiar with internal deliberations said he favored Republican Lt. Gov. Jim Risch.

Otter called speculation that he has made a choice "dead wrong" and declined to say when he would fill the seat.

Craig said he would remain in the Senate until Sept. 30 in hopes of providing a smooth transition for his staff and whoever is chosen as his successor.

President Bush called Craig from the White House after the senator's announcement and told him he knew it was a difficult decision to make, said White House spokesman Scott Stanzel.

"Senator Craig made the right decision for himself, for his family, his constituents and the United States Senate," Stanzel said.

[glossypan]

Butch Otter to pick the next Idaho senator. Asking him to pick an honorable person is like asking George Bush to pick the next Nobel laureate in physics. More of the same.

[hsinco-2009]

Buh-Bye Larry.

Don''t let the stall door hit on your way out.

[wattermelann]

Gee, I didn''t know they had gay cops in Minnesota!

[socrates392]

Posted by USAisdway189 at 12:11 PM : Sep 01, 2007

You seem to miss the point. No one cares that Craig is gay. We want him removed because he is a liar and a hypocrite. The only people who care that he is gay are you, Rush Limbaugh and your other bigoted friends.

[trumpetstuff]

Gee, I didn''t know they had gay cops in Minnesota!
Posted by wattermelann at 12:07 PM : Sep 01, 2007

(chuckle) It appears you are making a dig. Gay cops, firefighters, doctors, etc. are of course everywhere, including in Minnesota. But when they are working, who they sleep with is totally beside the point. It is very safe to say that the good sergeant, whichever way he leans, was on duty as part of a police sting against lewd conduct in public restrooms.

[jowand]

You seem to miss the point. No one cares that Craig is gay. We want him removed because he is a liar and a hypocrite. The only people who care that he is gay are you, Rush Limbaugh and your other bigoted friends.
Posted by socrates392 at 12:28 PM : Sep 01, 2007

Craig should jump ship to the Democratic Party, he''d get a standing ovation and Chairmanship of a committee.
His wife might care that he is gay, how do you know he''s gay, that''s not what he was charged with?

[jowand]

It is very safe to say that the good sergeant, whichever way he leans, was on duty as part of a police sting against lewd conduct in public restrooms.
Posted by trumpetstuff at 12:32 PM : Sep 01, 2007

Maybe Craig turned him down, the cop might be gay and ticked off at the rejection.

[ioweign]

Posted by USAisdway189 at 12:11 PM : Sep 01, 2007

Stop the whining ! Just put on the blue dress and go to the Oval Office, Georgie boy wants you !!

[chicagopoet]

About time! Why wait until Sept 30 though. Craig does not belong in office one more day.

[ioweign]

About time! Why wait until Sept 30 though. Craig does not belong in office one more day.
Posted by chicagopoet at 12:45 PM : Sep 01, 2007

Let''s not forget about those retirement benefits !!

[nmsuip]

Na na na na.
Na na na na.
Hey hey hey.
Goodbye.

As the good ship Neocon quickly slips beneath the political waves the Republicans are rowing furiously to avoid being pulled down along with her...

[trumpetstuff]

Maybe Craig turned him down, the cop might be gay and ticked off at the rejection.
Posted by jowand at 12:39 PM : Sep 01, 2007

Only if he really likes much older guys. Have you seen a picture of the cop? He''s hot! :-)

[edward1975-2009]

117 members in Congress: Are either involved in lawsuits, been convicted of crimes, ran companies into bankruptcy, and have bounced checks totaling hundreds and thousands of dollars. And still day after day I read these blogs, Dumbocrats complaing about Retardicans. Both party believers need to come out of the fishbowls you live in and quit voting your handed down politics. Start either demanding your parties put competent canditates up or look elsewhere for solutions. Then and only then will your opinion make a difference. Until then SHUT UP!

[usayesterday]

Larry Craig will have many more opportunities to screw America by going to work for some lobbyist in Washington D.C.

In politics, you can take out the garbage, but the smell still lingers!

[glossypan]

Why September 20 rather than immediately. My guess is he will pile several thousand more taxpayer dollars into his pension if he waits three weeks. The US Senates primary function lately has been to shovel money to pals and give themselves more perks.They have completely abandoned advise and consent. If our Democrats do not do better, it is our duty to make sure they are never incumbents

[xraytwonine]

I keep hearing about thre result, and comments made about the incident, but WHAT exactly is the incident consisted of?! What exactly did Craig do that is so wrong?! Did he ***? Did he touched someone???? What the hell! I dont'' want to hear what happens to him now or what people have to say about it, most don''t even know the detail of this so-called "incident".

[glossypan]

He picked up tissue off a public bathroom floor and admits to that. Listen to the tape. Would you want a sanator who did showed that kind of judgment?

[fairandbal]

I keep hearing about thre result, and comments made about the incident, but WHAT exactly is the incident consisted of?! ......
Posted by xraytwonine at 01:17 PM : Sep 01, 2007

Hiding your head in the sand xray? he PLEADED GUILTY TO A CRIME. And took 2 months to deliberate that plea. i.e. THERE WAS AN ''INCIDENT''. With access to high class lawyers, if there was no ''there there'' he would have PLEAD INNOCENT. Get it!?

[downtowner97]

O wise and noble Republicans, please continue to show me how to lead a moral and Godly life. I am but a Republican who needs molding, not a Democrat void of any desire to seek a moral life.

Rush has taught me how to send my maid to pretend to be in pain to get Oxycontin for me. O''Reilley has taught me to talk dirty to my female employees. Giuliani has taught me that dressing in drag and dumping one''s cancer-stricken wife on TV is very conservative. Bush has taught me that nothing you say means anything until it''s been interpreted. Cheney has taught me that torturing people is just part of the job of being a US soldier. Rumsfeld has taught me that a city isn''t in trouble until EVERYTHING is on fire. Foley taught me that chasing teenage boys isn''t bad if you do it in a state where the age of consent is low. And now Larry Craig has taught me that true love can only be found in the bathroom.

Wait in the third stall from the left. I''ll be in at 4:00. You''ll know me because I''ll be whistling "Hail to the Chief". We''ll do it for the good of the Party, not because we want to, because we''re straight, right?

[glossypan]

Oh yeah, and he is going on the road with OJ to prove their innocence. WJ Clinton will be on stage with them, singing "it was NOT s*e*x''" as they present their cases.

[downtowner97]

What do Clinton and Cheney have in common? They both got in trouble for shooting someone in the face.

What''s the difference between Iraq and Vietnam? Cheney and Bush had a plan to get out of Vietnam.

What does this have to do with Larry Craig? Not much, but somehow any criticism of a Republican politician seems to get the Bushies to invoke the terrible crimes of Clinton, and I really think we can call that old news at this point.

[rafterman1]

===Craig should jump ship to the Democratic Party, he''''d get a standing ovation and Chairmanship of a committee.===

Oh, you mean like Tom DeLay did from the Republicans in a closed session after he was charged with crimes?

[lars008-2009]

OMG... another demonic-rat MOLE outed from the gop...

hahahahahaha

had he been in the demonic-rat party where he belongs... they would make him their hero...

hahahahaha

[donnie900]

Maybe he just pleaded guilty to keep it quiet. And he did keep it quiet, it happened way way back in June.

Who was the one who told everybody about it?

It kinda reminds me of Scott Ridder. You know, the UN weapons inspector former marine who got caught at a burger king soliciting a 16 year old? Only those records were sealed. Were these records sealed too?

[donnie900]

Sometimes I think National Security isn''t so much a hiding from the public for tactical initiative as it is a hiding from the Republican party for a moral one.

[tx2democrats]

downtowner97 - we liked your post
- most excellent!!....good one.

a-tap-a-tap-a-tap-a....slide.

[donnie900]

Yup.. this *** stuff played a big role in the war in Iraq. Because it was Scott Ridder who kept telling everybody, hollering at the moon! "There are no WMDs! There are no WMDs!" And then the news came out of what was supposed to be sealed court records:

Scott Ridder solicited a minor at a burger king.

Which is it you guys want? A war with Iraq? Or a war against toe tapping?

[nolalou]

lars008,

Once again you prove to everyone here what an IDIOT you are! Why the hell would Senator Craig, with his right wing agenda , be welcomed by the Democrats? Why the hell would you say that? Haven''t you got a f-ing brain in the fat head of yours? It''s the republican party that is full of f-ing hypocrites!

I do see a anti-gay double standard here. Republican Senator Vitter of Louisiana, who''s number was found on a D.C. Madams phone records, and admitted to committing a ''grave sin'' is still in office, with nobody in his party calling for him to quit! After all, he only went to female prostitutes.. so what''s wrong with that?

[glossypan]

Merely trying to goad the Repubs into thinking about how inane the "no pictures, no foul" vis a vis Craig was in view of their past value judgments.

[myidoncbs]

xray asks, "WHAT exactly is the incident consisted of?!"

The senator was arrested in a police sting for trying to solicit s-e-x from a male cop in a mens'' bathroom, according to the cops. According to the senator, it was all a misunderstanding, but he pleaded GUILTY to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge, in an attempt "to make it all go away". That, in itself, is so stupid that nobody should want him to continue being their senator.

His own (republican) party wants him gone ASAP, so the negative publicity won''t rub off on them that''s running for office soon. Everybody else is amused by the utter hypocrisy of yet another member of the "Christian" party who has railed against the "evils" of homosexuality, who now is revealed to be a member of the group he so reviles. Self-loathing is a terrible thing, and it drives people to ridiculous behavior.

[donnie900]

The UN Weapons inspectors say Craig is innocent.

[donnie900]

The UN Weapons Inspectors just called me up and told me "all peckkkkers are nucelar weapons".

[tmn]

Craig will always stand for what the Republican Party is truly all about - complete and utter dishonesty.

[donnie900]

Ya know what a WMD is? A WMD is the clorine in my buddies swimming pool. Ya take a swim? And its: "..sizzle sizzle.. sizzle sizzle.."

[donnie900]

Democrats say that they want Craig to join their party, but I can''t help to think that maybe they played a part .. a vote maybe .. in this war against toe tapping too. Somthin in me gut.

[lars008-2009]

Posted by nolalou at 01:59 PM : Sep 01, 2007

another proud member of the nambla party...

[donnie900]

""I apologize for what I have done, I''m deeply sorry. I hope you do not regret the confidence you have placed in me all these years.""

Don''t worry, Mr. Craig. I''m not from Idaho. I wouldn''t live in that ******** up state if yaz paid me to.

[donnie900]

I guess you guyz''ll be banning abortion now too.. calling it "the moral thing to do".

[ecuadoriana]

It''s all very suspicious that the republicans who are soooo anti- g@y are the ones caught with their pants down while the wifey is at home curled up with the bottle.

Gotta love those family values they''re always yapping about with their forked tongues.

[rafterman1]

===Don''''t worry, Mr. Craig. I''''m not from Idaho. I wouldn''''t live in that ******** up state if yaz paid me to.===

Great scenery though.

[donnie900]

Forked tongues.. ya mean honesty?

[donnie900]

Thats the thing about the devil yaz always gotta remember.. "He''s not wrong." Thats why they bite yer ******** faces off.

I wish he were.

[METAUSTIN]

Booo Hooooo. Like I''m going to feel sorry for a liar AND a pervert! The Senate should show him the door now, not wait for 30 more days.

[donnie900]

I can garauntee ya, having lived in Idaho, that Senator Craig has got every last one of yer names, spinmeisters.. and yer about to find out de power of a grey pubbbic haired senators pen.

Ya never ****** wit Idaho. They wear hoods up der..

[hawksprings]

Now if only Senator Clinton would resign for accepting foreign campaign money... again.
Treason is worse than gayy sexx, isn''t it?

...

[missingamerica]

I wonder if this situation irritates a person or party other than what you would expect?

Say, some person or party that has been aware of Craig''s predilections, and thus could be certain of him voting their agenda right down the line?

That is the real reason why such behavior - if hidden - cannot be tolerated in our government; if the right kind of people find out about it, it is all too likely that the elected official in question will give the public appearance of working for the American people but will in fact be working for some other party.

[battyellison]

What about the florida Repug who was "afraid of black guys" when he was caught in a bathroom in florida? Who was he ? and where is he now? and why don''t they mention his name.

[searingtruth]

"Never be ashamed to be a human being. Even more importantly, never pretend you%u2019re not one."
SearingTruth

"I understand your human frailties, because they are much like mine, and the rest of humanities. We are all frail and weak, we all do things that shame us, we all make mistakes. But our character is not born from our perfection; it is instead born from how we deal with our imperfection."
SearingTruth

A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com

[seven-pesos]

whenever i travel i usually carry snacks along.

if i happen to be taking a dump and a **** reaches under the stall

i always drop a sausage in his hand.

you always hear ''em say: " oh gawd, oh gawd, oh gawd...

which leads me to believe i''ve made another republican christian happy.

ha,ha,ha.

[rafterman1]

===Treason is worse than gayy sexx, isn''''t it?===

No. Cheney and Rove didn''t resign over their high treason. In fact, from Republicans, treason gets you a nice big fat presidential get out of jail free card like Libby got.