Craig Vows To Stay In Senate Until End Of Term

Despite failing at his efforts to overturn his guilty plea, Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) says he will not resign from the Senate until his term ends in January 2009. A statement released moments ago:

Craig Reaction to Court Ruling

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Idaho Senator Larry Craig issued the following statement in reaction to today's ruling by the State of Minnesota District Court Fourth Judicial District allowing the guilty plea to stand:

"I am extremely disappointed with the ruling issued today. I am innocent of the charges against me. I continue to work with my legal team to explore my additional legal options.

"I will continue to serve Idaho in the United States Senate, and there are several reasons for that. As I continued to work for Idaho over the past three weeks here in the Senate, I have seen that it is possible for me to work here effectively.

"Over the course of my three terms in the Senate and five terms in the House, I have accumulated seniority and important committee assignments that are valuable to Idaho, not the least of which are my seats on the Appropriations Committee, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the Veterans' Affairs Committee. A replacement would be highly unlikely to obtain these posts.

"In addition, I will continue my effort to clear my name in the Senate Ethics Committee - something that is not possible if I am not serving in the Senate.

"When my term has expired, I will retire and not seek reelection. I hope this provides the certainty Idaho needs and deserves."

UPDATE: Much more from the AP:

Craig's lawyer, Billy Martin issued a statement saying his client was considering whether to appeal the ruling.

"Senator Larry Craig maintains that he is innocent and there is insufficient evidence to support a finding that he is guilty," Martin said. "Thus, we renew our arguments that it is manifestly unjust to deny Senator Craig's request to withdraw his guilty plea. Senator Craig continues his steadfast denial that any inappropriate behavior took place at the airport."

Craig, in his separate statement, said he was disappointed in the ruling. "I am innocent of the charges against me," he said.

Comments

[HumeSkeptic]

Did this ever happen under Saddam Hussein?

__________________________________


In Basra, vigilantes wage deadly campaign against women

By Jay Price and Ali Omar al Basri, McClatchy Newspapers
Thu Oct 4, 5:03 PM ET



BASRA, Iraq — Women in Basra have become the targets of a violent campaign by religious extremists, who leave more than 15 female bodies scattered around the city each month, police officers say.


Maj. Gen. Abdel Jalil Khalaf , the commander of Basra's police, said Thursday that self-styled enforcers of religious law threatened, beat and sometimes shot women who they believed weren't sufficiently Muslim.

.

[wars4profit]

Rabid woman-haters like MI6troll would approve.

[HumeSkeptic]

M16? A woman hater? You must mean that BJClinton clown.

[HumeSkeptic]

Go! Dems.

------------------
Democrats want to see interrogation memo

By LARA JAKES JORDAN, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 41 minutes ago


WASHINGTON - Senate and House Democrats demanded Thursday to see two secret memos that reportedly authorize painful interrogation tactics against terror suspects — despite the Bush administration's insistence that it has not violated U.S. anti-torture laws.
...

_____________________

[thromulese]

I will believe it when the dems actually get to see the document.

They will get NOTHING. King george will refuse to release it and the dems will fold and allow the shredding of the constitution to continue.

Just recently the lead dem on the firings of the attorneys said that he would NOT hold up the nomination of the AG to get the documents they subpoenaed regarding the attorney firings. The one chance they had to get their hands on the documents they just surrender and slink off to their offices to write more useless letters.

Even though the dems are in the majority in congress, they get steamrolled into condemning MoveOn.org for calling a general a liar (which he was). But cannot do more than write another useless letter condemning Rush (where is my oxycotin) Limbast for calling soldiers that are against the war phony soldiers.

The dems are weak, spineless, and disorganized. The republiCONs are war mongering, corrupt, torture loving, constitution shredding, incompetent fascists.

With that dynamic, the fascist always wins. And that is exactly what is happening even though the dems are the majority. Fuck, the dems even join the republiCONs to condemn their own party members MoveOn.orgg). They are IDIOTS.

[NYC07]

Larry " The gift that just keeps giving" Craig, is just living up to Idaho's state motto
"Esto Perpetua" which means "Let it be perpetual". Though I have heard he trying to get it changed to " Idaho , Where Men Are Men and Senators are "Gladd" of It !!!"

[Ping]

Good one.

[dr4Will]

the queer senator can't get enough of the senate stalls--

[autodefensa]

Straight men enjoy man-on-man quickies too


Imagining that closeted gay men are the only ones involved in bathroom sex is naive, since it assumes that homosexual acts are synonymous with homosexual identity, which is silly. There's an age-old phenomenon known as trade, an exchange between two men, at least one of whom is ostensibly heterosexual, in which the recipient of a blow job or the active partner in anal sex can walk away from his hanky-panky with plausible deniability. In other words, he can console himself with the belief that he is not gay, because for some reason (misogyny, let's say) a lot of men think that whoever gets penetrated is the woman, or more womanlike.

James Hannaham, Why bathroom sex is hot

[NoContest]

This is so freaking hilarious.....

18 more MONTHS of Leno's trailer tramp jokes. Kevin Eubanks yucking it up.


18 MILLION more votes for the Democrats.


~!@

[WhiteyWard]

So all that noise we hear from the Republikkkins is only Reagan rollin in his grave

[Qbear]

Puh leeeeeeeeeeeeze

Roy Cohn brought his boy du jour to the White House anytime he felt like it...GROW UP!

[Qbear]

Those thousands of red gowns of Nancy wore as First Lady....odd as this might sound a certain percentage of them weren't designed by straights.

[GreatFutureForAll]

"So all that noise we hear from the Republikkkins is only Reagan rollin in his grave"

NOPE!

That "noise" you hear is a very WASPY, Republican all-male Washington orgy-celebration from the knowledge that they CAN come out of the closet and still remain in the Senate!

No wonder Jim can't wait to get back there fulltime!

I may not be gay, but all I can say is one thing:

FIGHT, JIM!!! FIGHT FOR YOUR WAY OF LIFE!!!

[RedRooster]

Craig, in his separate statement, said he was disappointed in the ruling. "I am innocent of the charges against me," he said.

_________

Well no, Senator Craig, you are not. You are hypocritical piece of human filth and you most definitely are NOT innocent...a fact quite clearly documented by your own words and deeds just until the point at which your criminal conviction were made known to the world.

Until such time as your guilty plea was known, you NEVER once claimed innocence...and in fact after doing so, you COULDN'T claim innocence even in your pathetic petition to have your own plea of guilt reversed...that without additional legal consequences to yourself.

Consequently, not once on 27 pages of a legal opinion issued today by a judge, did the question of your "innocence" arise.

You admitted guilt and you are a criminal. You are a sexual predator. And according to Minnesota state law, you have committed acts which are "offensive and counterproductive to a civilized society."

Even today, you, like a perfectly maladjusted sociopath, continue to disrespect the American people, by repeating a now legally inadmissible and factually unjustifiable claim of "innocence".

How utterly detestable!

[Thalia]

C'mon, Larry!

ADMIT IT AND APOLOGIZE!

[RedRooster]

It's simply astounding that he's being given this pass.

To be sure, there is much schedenfreude in the situation as is stands, but the Republican will continue to pay a heavy price for as long as he remains in office.

And should the Republicans allow this to continue, Larry Craig will become the poster boy and symbol for all that is wrong with the GOP from now until the convention delegates step off the plane in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport and pass the bathroom where one of their own...a sitting US Senator, committed acts which by MN state law are:

"offensive and counterproductive to a civilized society".

[optiquest]

He reminds me of Ex Prez Clinton with Lewinski, Juanita Broderick, etc...etc...

I am sure you would feel the same toward Clinton

[Qbear]

MINNEAPOLIS NEW THEME PARK

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-8/1210139/LarryLand.jpg

got G_0_P-ocricy?

[nofltwlt]

Were would a sixty year old gay guy go in Utah?

GOPers are not men of their word; remember Bush said anyone who participated in the Valarie Plame leak would no longer work in his administration. The poor stupid bastard would have had to fire everyone in his administration if he was a man of his word - but he's not.

The current crop of GOPers aren't men, they are scumbags.

[Qbear]

Larry's from Idaho, but if you need to know where a sixty year old gay guy goes in Utah, there are a dozen gay bars in Salt Lake City

[humuhumunukunukuapuaa]

It is almost as if the GOP actually wants to lose in 2008.

Maybe they do. Maybe they know they put the Country in such deep shit over Iraq and our debt to China, that they are trying to lose so they can pass their monumental clusterfucks to the Democrats.

In any way, it looks like it will be a huge landslide DEM victory come November 2008.

Aloha.

[project]

Craig is just like every other republican I ever met. Will say whatever you want to hear just to get hold of that dollar bill!

[MI6troll]

Lindsey Graham and Mitch McConnell have words over Senator Craig:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2ro5asAfXQ

[Ron]

Sen. Craig is now the posterboy for the Republican Party and this administration. After all, he says one thing and does another. He acts like he's above the law so nothing can be done to him. He tried to hide the facts he was guilty, then changed his mind and professed he's innocent after it became public. Kind of like this administration does over and over again. They break the law then start putting little things out slowly to deflect and misdirect and lessen the issues and attention given to the crime. What a great posterboy for morals, values, honesty, and he'll next be trying to say its gots something to do with freedom and democracy, and if they go after him its like saying you don't support the troops and war. Anything is possible from this Republican crew.

[project]

Ron (See profile | I'm a fan of Ron)
Sen. Craig is now the posterboy for the Republican Party and this administration. After all, he says one thing and does another. He acts like he's above the law so nothing can be done to him. He tried to hide the facts he was guilty, then changed his mind and professed he's innocent after it became public. Kind of like this administration does over and over again. They break the law then start putting little things out slowly to deflect and misdirect and lessen the issues and attention given to the crime. What a great posterboy for morals, values, honesty, and he'll next be trying to say its gots something to do with freedom and democracy, and if they go after him its like saying you don't support the troops and war. Anything is possible from this Republican crew.
Worth repeating!
Thanks.

[lisakaz]

Good point. He and Gonzo are blood bros.

[Angry American]

Heck, Larry Craig probably wants to spend more time in the bathrooms (bathhouses?) of Washington DC. Imagine all the glad handing with a wide stance and pants in the down position. Nope, that perk is too much of a temptation for Craig to pass up.

Who else will be "flushed" out of the Republican closet, or "Independent Democrat" closet?

[riverhorse]

larry "the stall" part II gives a whole new meaning to the term "republican hack"...sure he has a cold folks. he's had a cold ever since he left limbaugh's house. give the guy a 2nd chance, let him wear a tongue n' penis cam to prove himself.

[Ping]

Pornographic.

[Madmac]

Happy Happy Joy Joy!!

[DefendOurConstitution]

Wooooooooo-Hooooooooo! The gift that keeps on giving! Democrats need to send a nice fruit basket to Larry Craig. Hell, they may even want to offer him a place in the Democratic Party if he wins the re-election next year. They owe him as much since he's giving so much. There's room for a man with a wide stance in the Democratic Party isn't there?