Oh, THAT’S Who We Get to Kick Around
Larry Craig, that’s who.
Shortly after a state judge denied his request to withdraw the Augustplea admitting to disorderly conduct, Mr. Craig said he had reversedhis previously announced decision to leave the Senate if he could notget the plea thrown out and would instead serve out his third term,which expires at the end of 2008. He said he would not run for a fourth.
Last we heard, Mark Geragos had withdrawn his Congressional subpoenas so he could try again.
A lawyer for a defense contractor accused of bribing former U.S.Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham on Tuesday withdrew subpoenas of a dozenHouse members after a federal judge indicated he was prepared to quashthem.
U.S. District Judge Larry Burns said he mightconsider enforcing the subpoenas if attorneys for Brent Wilkes coulddemonstrate the lawmakers had specific information related to thecharges and their testimony would be critical to Wilkes’ defense.
Wilkes’attorney, Mark Geragos, dropped his request but told reporters laterthat he planned to file new subpoenas against former House Speaker U.S.Rep. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., and four California Republicans.
[snip]
He is also considering subpoenas against up to 15 other House membersand four senators: Larry Craig, R-Idaho; Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii; CarlLevin, D-Mich., and Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va.
So perhaps Craig is sticking around to make sure no one asks too many questions about the money Brent Wilkes’ employees donated to his PAC. A bribery indictment, after all, is a lot harder to fight legally than some fancy toe-tapping.
Meanwhile, the list of people we won’t have to kick around anymore grew by one today, as Scott Jennings announced his resignation.
J. Scott Jennings, White House Deputy Director of PoliticalAffairs, has been Karl Rove’s right-hand man, assisting him in schemesranging from the U.S. attorney scandal to political briefings atgovernment agencies. ThinkProgress spoke with a White House spokesperson today who confirmed that Jennings is resigning, less than two months after his boss stepped down. The official told ThinkProgress that Jennings would be leaving “sometime soon.â€
Which, on the Rove side of the house, leaves just one more notable hack, the guy who took over the Office of Political Affairs: Barry Jackson. Notably, though Jackson was involved in a lot of the politicization of our entire government, he wasn’t a terrifically central player in the USA firing.
Maybe David Iglesias is having champagne again tonight.
I do agree with you EW that â€congressional immunity†probably plays a big part in Larry’s continued hiding in the Senate closet with only short forays to the restroom.
But as is often the case in life, there may be additional stuff affecting his DC exit such as (and this is just my swag):
Possibility # 1: Idaho State Repug party political infighting about his successor. Larry wants a big say in who succeeds him and Governor Butch Otter (R) ain’t obliging.
Larry sends Butch Otter a big â€feck you†and now plans to work the Idaho State Repug party hard to get his chosen successor running for his seat in the 08 election.
Possibility # 2: Larry has made a deal with Governor Butch Otter (R). Butch Otter wants the seat, but can’t get himself appointed now (see shades of Wendell â€Wendy†Anderson, who as MN Governor, resigned that position and via his Lieutenant Governor who succeeded him as the Governor, then had himself appointed to the Senate seat of Walter Mondale, who had been elected Vice President of the United States. Wendy’s political career was toast with Minnesotans from that day on.).
Idaho Governor Butch Otter will now throw his hat in the ring for the 08 Senate election and avoid the disgrace of doing a â€Wendy Anderson†while Larry holds down the fort from the bowels of the Senate’s restrooms.
Or, #3 he just doesn’t give a shit and the Senate is all he knows how to do, and there are not any jobs for him once he leaves. No employment want ads in the classifieds for â€Experienced Wide Stancer; skills at hypocrisy desirableâ€.
bmaz — I hate to correct you, but isn’t that an ad for Log Cabin Republican strategists?
Mad Dog
I’ve actually been thinking that, too. The whole wrestle for Craig’s seat was pretty unseemly, and I’m sure he’d like to maintain some sway over who gets to replace him.
Point taken Phred. And I am in need of correction about every time I say something; am always open for it. Unless I detect an unknown wingnut; then I am downright cranky. That is not you.
EW,
Given that Larry has stated (can we really believe him anymore?) that he is not running for re-election in 08, then some Repug has to be. Larry is gonna keep the seat warm for whomever.
Two things (at least) that may give us more clues as to what is really going on with Larry’s refusal to go. Watch for:
1. Who on the Repug side announces for the 08 election. If it is Governor Butch Otter, then that says a lot about a â€deal†being cut.
2. Whether the Ethics Committee actually does anything. Since by rule, the committee is evenly balanced between Dems and Repugs, nothing is done except by consensus.
If the Senate Repugs really want Larry gone, then we’ll likely see a very public circus.
If the Senate Repugs are a party to a deal that Larry stays in the closet in seat-warming mode, then we’ll see a â€closed door†investigation that peters out, oh let’s say about the time that new Senators are sworn in on January 09.
Also, the â€congressional immunity†thingee may be part of the deal that keep the Senate Repugs from pushing Larry out of the closet. Like you, I suspect Larry knows where some bodies are buried.
Mad Dog
Two more things, in addition to your excellent points.
First, keep in mind where Craig got support to stay in Senate: Specter, and some Idaho pols (the latter of which would support your point).
Second, consider teh danger to the Republicans if it becomes okay to come out–and stay in teh party. They’d lose one of their most important tools of discipline, I think.
You can only end up being like Larry Craig if everything about you is For Sale.
He’ll say anything for The Agenda, for a Republican vote, for a Family Values campaign donation or to Stay in Office – you just need to exchange a little Money to make it happen, is all.
But, he is fundamentally a hypocrite. None of it means anything more to him than pulling some guy off his dick and throwing him a twenty.
you guys forgot to add that Larry Craig is NOT GAY.
It’s off topic and perhaps pointless—and by no means would I want to appear to be defending Larry Craig, a guy I’d love to see go down in flames by any means. I worked as an over-the-road commercial driver for many years, using public bathrooms almost exclusively. It is no point of pride that I witnessed and learned every possible prelude to the timeless art of seduction that takes place in parking lots and public bathrooms nationwide. The finger-waving/toe-tapping behavior mentioned in Craig’s arrest report is a method that is totally unknown to me, beyond the province of my knowledge.
I could be wrong. Maybe it’s a well-known technique—the finger waving is sign language, and the toe tapping is Morse code. That’s possible, even though I haven’t seen anyone say they are familiar with it. That’s because it doesn’t happen.
Furthermore, this behavior is so far from what I know, I believe it didn’t happen. Assuming the arrest report was written in good faith, it amounts to wishful thinking and rising expectations on the part of the arresting officer; if not, maybe Craig’s arrest was something more. Consider the potpourri of challenges for the defense attorney in a case with an assured guilty verdict, despite the fact Craig wouldn’t have broken the law if he’d said to the officer, â€let’s get a motel room and have naughty boy-sex.â€
Uranus, plenty of discription of this type of behavior on various blogs that predates the arrest, some accounts specific to this bathroom.
I believe you haven’t seen it, I don’t believe it doesn’t happen.
Plus listen to Craig’s taped conversation with the cop. Not even close to credible.
All this is old news anyway, the judge pitched him, the only remaining question is â€will congressâ€.
I’m guessing he quietly rides out the term. He knows where at least one body is buried.
Hey, dont forget The Odious Hans von Spakovsky! We’ll have him to kick around for a while, yet, if the Rules Committee’s Trojan Horse maneuver succeeds. And a personal (verbal) kick to my own Sen. Inouye, who should have known better, as well as the rest of the go-along-to-get-along Dems on the Rules Committee. That means you too, DiFi!
If it’s primarily an urban phenomenon, I wouldn’t necessarily know about it, and if it’s the real thing it must be. It’s high-risk behavior: a great way to get robbed or killed. Assuming Larry’s a genuine bathroom weinie washer, almost anything could be going on in his mind, as that behavior indicates extreme separation from reality.