If Larry Craig was a Democrat, we'd be hearing a lot from liberals in the media about how he was bravely exploring his sexual identity. We would hear indignant objections to this policeman who, obviously having nothing better to do with his time, was doing surveillance in airport bathrooms in search of innocent people to harass and victimize. The ACLU would be right in there, asking about Craig's right to privacy and wondering why such ambiguous evidence (he placed his bag in front of the door, he tapped his foot) was enough to warrant arrest and prosecution. Even Craig's guilty plea would be employed in his favor: look, the man is at least being honest about what he did, and why should he be ashamed of being who he is? If Larry Craig was a Democrat, the system, not Craig, would be on trial.
Unfortunately for Larry Craig, he is a Republican and a conservative to boot. We've been hearing a lot about conservative hypocrisy in the past several days: turning on CNN, I saw anchor Soledad O' Brien, correspondent Candy Crowley and legal pundit Jeff Toobin all having a great time with the subject. None of them saw fit to comment on the Himalayan hypocrisy of the liberals, undoubtedly because they embodied it.
So where is the liberal hypocrisy? Consider: the cardinal values of today's liberalism are the right to personal freedom, the right of consenting adults to do what they want as long as they do not trespass on the rights of others, and the right to privacy. Larry Craig's conduct may have been unseemly, but he did not violate any of the liberal values. He wasn't assaulting the man in the other stall, he was approaching him to seek his consent. Whatever he was doing, he wasn't doing it in the Oval Office like Clinton but in a men's room stall. Notwithstanding the obscure "signaling" that was apparently going on, Craig didn't actually engage in any kind of sexual activity. No cigars were inserted into any private orifices. Craig's home, in contrast with Barney Frank's apartment, was not used as a full-service prostitution venue. Craig hasn't figured out, like Gerry Studds, that you don't have to forage in airport restrooms when there are pages to be turned over on Capitol Hill itself.
In all those cases--Barney Frank, Gerry Studds, Bill Clinton--liberals rushed to the defense of their guys and proceeded to attack their critics as the real threat to civil liberties and social freedom. (Bill Clinton's approval ratings on the left actually rose when his sexal misconduct came to public light.) Therefore in the Larry Craig case, liberal indignation stands exposed as largely opportunistic. Here is a chance to hoist the conservatives on their own petard, to hang another scandal on the necks of the GOP, and to undermine the case for moral standards in society under the pretext of upholding them.
Reader Comments ( Page 2 of 9)
16. Ohmigod! "If wishes were horses", "If cheesecake had no calories" ... "If I only had a brain". Um, Mr. D'Souza, oh great-defender-of-all-things-Republican-conservative-and-"family-values-lite", Larry Craig got caught with his literal pants down, OK? This after years and years of beating gays over the head with his sickening, virtuous, "do as I say and not as I obviously do" REPUBLICAN, double-standard duplicity. If the man were a democrat, communist or even a MARTIAN he'd still be raked over the coals by a thoroughly fed-up populace. Newsflash Dinesh - Democrats aren't the ones wearing the hair shirts, gnashing teeth and foaming at the mouth over people's sexuality. It's the rank, stomach-turning and endless HYPOCRISY of the eternally clueless REPUBLICAN party, stupid!
Bill at 8:49AM on Sep 4th 2007
17. I think the subtitle of this piece should read:
"If Dinesh D'Souza were a Democrat . . ."
Isn't that right, Dinesh?
Taking this rather personally, aren't you?
best,
mw
michael white at 9:15AM on Sep 4th 2007
18. CLINTON IS NO DIFFERENT FROM ANY OTHER PRESIDENT. HE JUST GOT CAUGHT. CRAIG IS A HYPOCRYTE, AND THEY ARE THE WORST KIND OF PEOPLE. LIKE MUSHARRAF, "YEAH, WE ARE HELPING YOU, NOW, ABOUT THAT $1 BILLION...NUKE PAKISTAN...NOW!!!
Rhyno101st at 9:29AM on Sep 4th 2007
19. About as specious an argument as the NAACP saying if Michael Vick was Peyton Manning....................................................................
If the party of "Get Gov't out of our lives" got the hell out of our bedrooms, there would be far fewer fundementally productive and decent people, getting there lives ruined for acting like human beings sometimes act.
John at 9:41AM on Sep 4th 2007
20. If Craig were a Democrat he'd have been living up to his ideals, and would be treated like Barney Frank.
He isn't and the Rebublican's rightly canned him.
Wouldn't the US of A be a better place if the NBA had canned Colby Bryant? Forget about the rape charge, but the man cheated on his wife by any account.
What Michael Vick did is absolutely disgusting, b ut is it worse than cheating on your wife?
Without consequences, all of this behavior will become more and more the norm.
Rick Peterson at 9:41AM on Sep 4th 2007
21. You are (mostly) all kidding me right. If you have been paying any attention that it is the REPUBLICANS who are trying to kick him out of the senate. Democrats are just sitting back laughing, because in all honesty... Ya gotta admit it is at least somewhat funny. Chill the Fu*k out people
Matt at 9:52AM on Sep 4th 2007
22. Asa far as "cheating on your wife" . While it is not honorable behaviour, it is a COMMON human failing. Electrocuting dogs is NOT!
John at 3:54PM on Sep 4th 2007
23. Dinesh -- Obsess much? I assume you've cleared your calendar for the next few weeks so you can wallow in the Larry Craig story and talk about your #1 favorite subject: Gay sex.
I love, too, how you keep leaving out the truth about Barney Frank (" in contrast with Barney Frank's apartment, [Craig's apartment] was not used as a full-service prostitution venue"). Barney Frank didn't know that his basement apartment was being used to house a prostitution service. When he found out, he kicked the guy out and reported the entire incident to the House Ethics Committee. They did a full investigation and cleared him of any wrongdoing.
And as many have already pointed out here, it was Larry Craig's own party that unceremoniously told him he was no longer welcome in Congress. Democrats left the issue alone, pretty much knowing that their Republican counterparts would burn the homosexual on the cross (and God, did they come through with flying rainbow colors).
What's next Dinesh? What other gay demons in that brain of yours are dying to come out?
Kenneth Hill at 10:05AM on Sep 4th 2007
24. BS Dinesh!
You like to play like you're an intellectual but you're simply a partisan HACK!
The ick factor is what got Craig.... that and the sactimony of the political party with which he is identified!
Kbat at 10:14AM on Sep 4th 2007
25. OK, DD, you are obsessed by Clinton. Are you in love with him? Is what we are seeing here is a "Larry Craig style" repressed homosexual lust for Bill, cause dude, you gotta let go. Oh and by the way if Larry Craig was a Democrat he would have been able to embrace his homosexuality, come out of the closet, leave his wife and live a life of acceptance in the Democratic Party. Unfortunately as a Republican he has lived a life of repression, self hate and resigned himself to lurking around bathrooms looking for the love he so desparately desires. DD, were not going to find you lurking around Little Rock bathrooms hoping for a chance encounter with Bill Clinton, are we? Geo
Geo at 7:03PM on Sep 4th 2007
26. This type of argument is not only sophomoric and highly insulting to those of intelligence, it is in fact rendered nugatory, the old 'What IF'.
Obviously the unfortunate circumstance of Craig's arrest is,upon review, somewhat questionable. However, Craig's mens-room incident took place in June, he did not turn in his plea until August. Thus proving plenty of time on Craig's part for serious consideration,pros and cons or contacting his lawyer.
D.D. your feeble inept party line is in fact worn out. WE ALL KNOW of the dealings of both Republican and Democratic sex and other scandles. One, in no way makes the other somehow better.
Craig has a history of this specific type of activity over decades. We all can or may feel compassion for his family, but for Craig, and individual who made it his reason d`etre to cause the lives of a segment of or population miserable is deserving of this momentary embarrassment. At least we all now know, exactly how far friendship in the GOP goes. They are the ones, after all who thew Larry Crain in FRONT of the bus.
Steve at 10:18AM on Sep 4th 2007
27. What a load of crap. Exploring his sexuality?? No, he is a dirty old man, a cheater, a liar and a hypocrit who is trying to have sex in a bathroom. What a twisted filthy liar Dinesh is...he is purposely trying to demean democrats because that's all he can do when a Republican can't weasel out of a scandal. Nothing wrong with being gay, doesn't mean it's ok to cheat on your spouse have sex in a bathroom etc. His fidelity issues certainly expose character flaws, but that's between he and his wife. His hypocricy is a joke, and THAT is what he has been called on by democrats. He is an embarrassment to Republicans and that is why THEY forced him out. His own party. Stop putting this on democrats. Dinesh D'Souza is nothing but a thinner Rush Limbaugh.
Amy at 10:36AM on Sep 4th 2007
28. Hey Dinesh,
Why don't you talk about how president Bush signing a deal allowing Mexican trucks into the U.S. What are the benefits? consequences? Could this be how terrorist that "will follow are soldiers home when we leave Iraq" get in the U.S. causing another 9/11 or worse? How about something that can directly affect us as a country?
David McCool at 10:26AM on Sep 4th 2007
29. If, if, if...
What a pathetic defense. All I can say is I'm glad Larry Craig isn't gay. The gay people I know aren't cowards and they don't need to hide out in public bathrooms for sex.
David at 10:42AM on Sep 4th 2007
30. We will never really know what it would be like if it were a Democrat in the same situation. Is it a slow news day or nothing more interesting to write about?
To clear up a point tht some have touched on, the arresting Police Officer. The question was, "Doesn't he have something better to do" The answer is, no. Patrolling the Rest Rooms at the Airport was his assignment. He was there to help stop the Gay Sex that has been going on. The Rest Room was known to be a popular place for Gay's looking to engage in Sex acts. So, the police Officer wasn't there waiting for Larry Craig to meet with a "Toe Tapping Staller" If my memory serves me, Forty or so arrests had already been made that day.
David Rosenberg at 4:07PM on Sep 4th 2007