Senator Larry Craig

[El Diablo]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/08/...est/index.html

"Sen. Larry Craig peered through a crack in a restroom stall door for two minutes and made gestures suggesting he wanted to engage in "lewd conduct," according to the police officer who arrested him."

"When the police interviewed him later, the senator said that "he has a wide stance when going to the bathroom" and that was why his foot may have touched the officer's, the report said."

"Last fall, Craig's office publicly denied assertions by Internet blogger Mike Rogers that the senator is gay. Craig's office dismissed speculation about the senator's sexuality as "completely ridiculous.""

"In recent years, Craig's voting record has earned him top ratings from social conservative groups"

"He has supported a federal constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage"

"In 1996, Craig also voted in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act, which denies federal recognition to same-sex marriages"

"Craig also has opposed expanding the federal hate crimes law to cover offenses motivated by anti-gay bias"

"in 1996, voted against a bill that would have outlawed employment discrimination based on sexual orientation"

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg....DTL&tsp=1

"In 2006, a gay activist alleged he had spoken with men who had sexual encounters with Craig, including an anonymous man in the restrooms at Union Station in Washington. Craig's office told the Spokesman-Review of Spokane, Wash., that the allegations were ridiculous."

Whether it's sexual orientation, gambling, adultery, drugs, whatever, I just get a high degree of amusement when moralizing right-wing types turn out to be exactly the thing they and their supporters are preaching against.

[lapoker17]

yeah - it's almost as funny as when democrats send their kids to private schools - LOL.

[Los Feliz Slim]

This is very amusing and creepy. I'm talking to a gay guy in my office right now who says there's a whole set of codes gay men use to cruise public restrooms. He's not into that scene so he can't warn the rest of us exactly what to stay away from, unfortunately. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[Chaostracize]

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yeah - it's almost as funny as when democrats send their kids to private schools - LOL.

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Unless I'm reading this wrong, but isn't there a difference in claiming moral superiority and being a hypocrite, and fighting for strong educational system and sending your child to a private school...which isn't hypocritical at all?

[slickpoppa]

Although I love the irony of a gay bible thumper, I think someone getting arrested for tapping his foot and putting his bag in front of a bathroom stall door is [censored].

[somethingstupid]

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Although I love the irony of a gay bible thumper, I think someone getting arrested for tapping his foot and putting his bag in front of a bathroom stall door is [censored].

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Agree completely. However, just in case you're wondering whether this particular senator was trying to solicit gay sex, he did plead guilty initially.

[NicksDad1970]

I guess he was just trying to look like the opposite of gay. So he voted the opposite of himself.

It worked for George Castanza doing the opposite of everything he thought.

[beta1607]

ElD - I agree with you. Between Vitter, Gingrich, Livingstone and Craig it is horrible the level of hyprocrisy. Then of course there are all the people caught up in the Abramoff stuff last year and Duke Cunningham. Democrats are just as corrupt but there is something about claiming high and mighty status that pisses me off more when Republicans do it. This is coming from a conservative guy who was Republican staff on Capitol Hill until the last elections.

Chaos: LApokers is actually pretty accurate. Democrats like Al Gore for example oppose things like vouchers that would let middle class families send their children to local private schools while they send their kids to $30,000/year prep schools like St. Albans and Andover. I would say it is very hypocritical to give a speech to the teachers union opposing vouchers and saying the local public schools are good enough for middle class/blue collar families hours after writing a fat check to the prep school their child attends. DC has a highly succesful voucher program that most of the local Dems support because their public schools are terrible yet the national party leaders still refuse to budge.

[JackWhite]

[ QUOTE ]
Unless I'm reading this wrong, but isn't there a difference in claiming moral superiority and being a hypocrite, and fighting for strong educational system and sending your child to a private school...which isn't hypocritical at all?


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When you condemn school choice and claim that we all must support public education, while sending your own kids to private schools, there is some level of hypocrisy there. Your private actions should match your public words. If public schools are good enough for everyone else, then they should be good enough for your kids.

[Wynton]

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When you condemn school choice and claim that we all must support public education, while sending your own kids to private schools, there is some level of hypocrisy there. Your private actions should match your public words. If public schools are good enough for everyone else, then they should be good enough for your kids.

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There is only hypocrisy because you have distorted the positions.

Those opposed to vouchers are not opposed to the institution of private schools, nor are they opposed to "choice." Rather, they are opposed to using public money for private schools, in part because they believe that such a practice will weaken public schools overall.

And no one is claiming "public schools are good enough." Generally, voucher opponents are urging more spending on public schools because they acknowledge those schools are not good enough.

There is nothing inconsistent with taking the position that public schools should be strengthened, while using one's own money for private school.