So here is what disgraced Senator Larry Craig did. He placed his bag down in front of the airport bathroom door. He went tap, tap, tap with his foot. He reached over with his left hand and touched the leg of the fellow in the next stall. After that he did...well, nothing. The officer confronted him and accused him of soliciting, and Craig pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and paid the fine.
Here, to get a little perspective, is what Congressman Barney Frank did several years ago. He answered a personal ad in the Washington Blade in which a male prostitute, Stephen Gobie, drew public attention to his "hot bottom" and "large endowment." Frank began to pay Gobie for sex and even invited Gobie to move in with him. When the arrangement soured, Gobie revealed to the press that he had been running a full-service prostitution ring out of Frank's Capitol Hill apartment.
Why then is Craig on the ropes while Frank continues as a Congressman in good standing? Certainly the difference isn't homosexuality, which seems to be a common factor in both cases. Nor can the explanation be found in the gravity of the offense involved. Craig's is much less serious, since the worst he did was proposition another adult to have sex, not exactly the first time in history that this has happened. Frank, by contrast, was employing a male hooker for paid favors and providing operating facilities for a D.C. prostitution ring.
I suppose the difference is that Craig has been a champion of moral values--which makes him vulnerable to the charge of hypocrisy--while Frank is a libertine which means he gets to do as he pleases. (Bill Clinton and Ted Kennedy are also given free passes for similar reasons.) Another difference, as far as the mainstream media is concerned, is that Craig is a Republican. If you're looking for two-faced people who abuse their power, Craig may not be the greatest offender here.
Reader Comments ( Page 5 of 12)
61. Listen Mr. D:
Go Fuck yourself.
Behzad at 12:24PM on Sep 1st 2007
62. When you have a party that attacks a group of people as the Republican Party does to the LGBT community, guess what, your going to be scrutinized more, it is a issue of hypocrisy, and his ass should be thrown out.
Look, Democrats do dance around the gay issue, they kind of endorse it but they kind of dont, I give you that, its a load of crap, so they dont deserve a pass, but we see this huge unbelievable hypocrisy from Pastor Ted Haggard, Congressman Mark Foley, Mayor Jim West, and now the Senator from Idaho.
It is easier for people to accept that Barney Frank, an openly gay man who supports all things gay was doing something GAY... Its more shocking to find out that Pastor Ted Haggard, who champions the cause to basically anialate gays and thier rights, was having bareback three ways which snorting crack!
And one more thing, is anyone else getting tired of people like Pat Bucchanan getting on TV and saying how he is tired of people trying to throw there beliefs of gays on him... Guess what, Im tired of you throwing your Straight beliefs on me you idiot! The artogance that some people have... Maybe Im tired of straight marriages.... I'm not, I could care less..you know why... BECAUSE IT DOESNT EFFECT ME IF YOU GET MARRIED!! Imagine that... me not worrying so much about what everyone else is doing... I am starting to think that these old white men that keep fighting this are either A) fighting a hidden passion for men and over compensating OR B) they got molested when they were a kid and now everybody has to pay for what there dad did to them. Well, someone had to say it! LOL
Thats all....
Mike with a Y at 12:40PM on Sep 1st 2007
63. "If you have read the news lately his fellow republicans are the ones making the most noise about this and want him gone because it makes them look bad. The democrats are just sitting back laughing."
That's exactly right. It's the Republicans who are reacting the most to this. Dinesh is attacking his own people.
Dunkly at 12:53PM on Sep 1st 2007
64. I am one of the two Democrats here in Idaho (we meet in secret every once in awhile). Craig has not helped his party or the nation by lying about his behavior. He has claimed he is in the mess because the local newspaper has been harassing him until he lost it--it is all their fault. He was one of the first to jump up and to demean Clinton for his behavior. I think he should apply to teach a course in family values at Brigham Young University.
Tom Edgar at 1:31PM on Sep 1st 2007
65. Your comments: Two thoughts: Senator Craig, like so many older gay men has tried to hide from himself for many years. He has convinced himself
that he is not really gay because he doesn't go to bars or have a boyfriend or hire a man. He assures himself that his feelings come from the devil which must be fought. In fighting it, he is not gay.
Gays give in, gays are effeminate. I feel sorry for him. The pain he has within, the pain that he has caused his family (especially his wife)is the hell he now must suffer.
He grew up in a time when being gay was itself a crime. Unfortunately that is the time he wants to
return this nation to. The Republican Party made a pact with its religious right in order to overthrow 40+ years of Congressional Democratic rule. It has now been kidnapped by that group and it must now
villify gay people, smuggly proclaiming itself morally superior to all those who do not support is views.
Fortunately, their time on stage is dying. Too many people have come out of the closet, too many
businesses have hired openingly gay people and too many people know being gay is no big thing for Larry Craig's hellish world to ever hurt us ever again. Larry Craig? May you find peace.
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Kenneth Weeden at 1:53PM on Sep 1st 2007
66. All I have to remember with DD when I read anything of his is how he got nailed by Stephen Colbert, exposing how he agrees with Islamofacists that our 'immoral' freedoms should be censored to fall in line with their ideals, so they'll like us more. DD is a traitor and should go ahead and join the jihad, he belongs there. This man has no credibility and brings shame upon the right of free speech. It's shocking that anyone would employ this guy or take one word of his to heart.
abers076 at 2:37PM on Sep 1st 2007
67. You need to use your God given brains to think for yourself for a change instead of always blaming liberals and Democrats for all the crap shit your party seems to be doing these days. The Republicans were the ones who abandoned this hypocrite guy. Wake up and smell the coffee. If all of you Repukes would mind your own business and try to live your life as the Bible asks, you wouldn't get in the crap shit mess. The guy has so much hatred for gays that he was hell bent on voting against a bill that would make it a hate crime if gays were attacked. But then he gets off the plane and walks further away to this particular restroom. Now he wants to proclaim he was picking a piece of paper. Pray tell me who in their right mind picks up anything in a public rest room ??? He was entitled to an attorney but chose not to do so. In fact, he never sought legal counsel once he returned to Idaho. And now that all this blew up in his face, he has the audacity to claim "entrapment". Remember the old adage ... "people who live in glass houses should not throw stones at others." I don't give a shit if he is gay or straight or bi-sexual. I do give a damn when he proclaims to be a conservative Christian and then is out prowling for sex with men in airport bathrooms. Remember, Mark Foley - when he was caught, he claimed he was an alcoholic and was abused, yada, yada. So it is you, the Republicans, who cheat, lie, get drunk, snort something up your nose and then want to blame Democrats. You need to stop watching the faux news and stop listening to the drug addict fat ass Rush. Senator Craig got just what he deserved for being a bad, bad, naughty boy !!!!!
Hope at 3:52PM on Sep 1st 2007
68. Now imagine if Larry Craig was the President of the United States and had sex in a young interns mouth and lied to the Country on National TV while wagging his finger at the citizens. Later, he got impeached for his lies. Would Larry Craig have remained President?
Some people feel shame and disgrace for their actions and step down from positions of power because in their gut they know it is the right thing to do. Republicans try live their lives beyond reproach.
Commoncents at 4:10PM on Sep 1st 2007
69. Obviously you imoral democrats don't get the point,breaking the law wether Repub or dem should have the same consequence at least for anyone with decency let alone with morality, but as usual you defend clinton,barney frank and other child molesters for you have no shame!!You even defend a killer, where are you hypocrite femenist out there! This coward got sloppy drunk, drove his car into a lake and went to sleep it off while the poor woman drowned!! Dinesh simply says that democrats call repubs corrupt but in my book you have complete control of that category.
As citizens we should be demanding the highest integrety from our politicians knowing that power makes men and women drunk with it and their perception is that they are above the law, no one is perfect but we should expect more from politicians no matter what party or what affiliation we might have because this insanity wether you want to see it or not will come to haunt us all!
Manny at 1:43PM on Sep 2nd 2007
70. As always, Dinesh, I am astounded by the fact that you obviously are academically bright and highly educated and yet continue to remain, in so many respects, a complete moron. Your zealous and unreason conservatism and homophobia would naturally draw your twisted mind to comparisons between Craig and Frank, however wrong-headed they are. While I am gay, I do find bathroom sex somewhat sordid; and for a self-loathing, hypocritical homophobe like Craig, this sordidness would doubtless add a certain rebellious appeal.
Frank did wrong; but he was openly gay and while his ethics and taste may have been questionable, he
did not flagrantly attempt to break the law like poor, pathetic Craig did. It is no coincidence that
moralistic, finger-pointing hypocrisy is such a Republican phenomenon; they are drilled to behave according to their party's tenets; unquestioningly adhering to their political and religious beliefs even when these run contrary to their own human inclinations.
Peter at 4:37PM on Sep 1st 2007
71. Listen Peter while you call people homophobes you give credence to their beleifs. Your own hate ,anger and lack of tolerance sips out with every printed word I'n not gay but I do believe homosexuality is wrong look at all the people who have died because of that lifestyle. If you are tolerant maybe others will find it to tolerate you if your hateful than don't complain at the hate shown agaist you!
Manny at 1:40PM on Sep 2nd 2007
72. The difference between the two situations is this: Sen. Craig was aware that he was committing a misdemeanor lewd act in a public place, whereas Frank, though obviously lacking due diligence, had no awareness that his boarder, Steve Gobie, was running a gay escort service out of their apartment. In other words, intent is everything, something even a non-lawyer can figure out intuitively. Craig is guilty, while Frank, though I do not partake in his way of life, is not guilty.
Rep. Frank, to be sure, lacked foresight in choosing his associates. But he didn't participate in any illegal activity nor did he cover up such activity. Dinesh D'Souza, an overrated and contemptible McCarthyist hack whose recent book, "The Enemy at Home," I panned in a prominent magazine, makes a false parallel. But then, ideology trumps common sense every time for "Distort D'Newsa."
Carl F. Horowitz at 4:58PM on Sep 1st 2007
73. 1. it was republicans that called for his resignation. 2. Barney Frank was never charged. He had no knoledge of the ring being run out of his basement. 3. Frank didn´t try to cover it up or plead guilty to make it go away. 4. Frank never lectured anyone about family values or oppossed any sort of pro gay legislation. Craig is a queer as a three dollar bill and as bent as a fork in the road. He´s GAY!! Admit it and get over it!
dagger at 6:25PM on Sep 1st 2007
74. Why everybody called us "RIGHT"? because we always're right! isn't that simple?!
Everything in this country went wrong these days, not ours fault, the Democrats/Liberals are to blame. Oh, don't forget to count the Iraqis,the Iranians,the Chinese,the French,the Germans,the Russians,the Maxicans,the Cubans,the Lebanese,...
the homos...(no, scratch the last one out).
Anyway,we,the people with faith,live a moral life. and we know better.and...and...because we're chosen.
GOD blew us!
(Oops, we taped our foot on the wrong "stall" of the keyboard)
jax at 5:09PM on Sep 1st 2007
75. When reading Dinesh D'Souza, remember that this traitor expressed sympathy and solidarity with Al Qaeda for their 9-11 murder of 3000 plus Americans.
He has no morals, and not an honest bone in his body. He omits the truth that HIS morally bankrupt Republican party demanded that Larry Craig resign, because of bad public relations.
But being a moral blank, he'll find a way to blame Democrats for EVERYTHING and ANYTHING, including the weather, because he gets a lot of $$$$ for his shameless propaganda.
Heck, he already sided with Al Qaeda over his fellow Americans. Why would you trust anyone who did that?
chumley at 5:29PM on Sep 1st 2007