Matt Lauer's Larry Craig Interview: Exclusive and Excruciating

Oh gosh, Matt Lauer's interview with Senator Larry Craig and his wife Suzanne last night was uncomfortable to watch. Now I get what Lauer meant yesterday, how it must have felt to quiz Craig on the litany — the long, long litany — of gay-themed allegations (cruising, pickups, trysts) from throughout his political career and even from before, all while his wife was sitting there. Lauer did a good and deft job on this, and the Craigs candidly addressed it all head on, but the end result was the feeling of "no smoke without fire" and wow was there a lot of smoke. Not that there's anything wrong with that! The saddest part is how, if it's true (and if they're just rumors, well, there sure are a lot of them, from a lot of different sources), this guy has felt the overwhelming need to hide it and rail against it for his whole life. Here is a representative clip:

"I have a medical discharge based on my feet." Oh, Senator Craig, those feet.

Update: I'm going to have to disagree with Tom Shales, who criticized Lauer for being "anything but hard-hitting or confrontational." To my mind, that was precisely the right approach: Sympathetic, respectful, but persistent, putting each episode to Craig for his response, which created an overall effect of so many dominoes leading to that inevitable and sad moment in that airport bathroom. What Shales doesn't get is that Craig's had MONTHS of hard-hitting and confrontational — the cable shows, the late-night punchlines — the last thing that would have drawn him out would have been an antagonistic interviewer. When Lauer cited "cruising" and followed it with "whatever that means," Suzanne Craig laughed — breaking the tension of an uncomfortable moment and keeping it as comfortable, really, as it was ever gonna be. This interview didn't need to be hard-hitting; as I mention above, just the litany of episodes and innuendos, presented to Craig again and again, had a far more quietly damning effect.

(Hat tip to TVNewser, and thanks — I sort of love disagreeing with Tom Shales.)

Related:
Larry Craig To Matt Lauer: "You Know I Don't Just Walk Away From A Fight" (Except When I'm Quietly Pleading Guilty And Hoping It Will All Go Away) [ETP]

Comments

[rusu92]

Alot of those "whatever that means" in the interview. Reminds me of Prince Charles and we all know "whatever that means" meant to him.

[rusu92]

If you haven't seen this...
http://www.crackle.com/c/Moving_Targets/Sen._Craig's_New_Music_Video/2048231#ml=fpl%3D223789%26fx%3D%26o%3D12

[abbiehoffmansghost]

'I have a ...discharge...' but penicillin seems to be working it's magic.

[cobraxus]

the term that best describes Larry Craig's behaviour is "dissociative".anybody ever heard about "The Lords Of Bakersfield"?how about Roy Kohn and "Tailgunner"Joe McCarthy?it's like what they say about Matt Drudge:"The Problem isn't that he likes boys.The Problem is the boys don't like him back."

[desertdweller]

Talk to anyone who has spent time behind bars - the dudes doing the corn-holing don't consider themselves gay either.

[abbiehoffmansghost]

Did you see the size of the stance on that guy?

[liberal]

You can tell by his mannerisms he's queer as a three dollar bill

[ProfessorVP]

This is the, pardon the expression, pink elephant in the room. Craig is nelly, a prissy old queen. That's really the engine that drives the story. If he had used Old Spice- manly, yes- all the gay stories wouldn't seem so totally credible.

[ignorantwillyharper]

When they brought him into the Idaho Hall of Fame, they hung his plague in the closet.

[my2petpeeves]

Those of us in Idaho not only got to see the Matt Lauer hour, we got an hour interview of Craig by a local TV anchor. Boy, was it painful. Craig spent the hour making the case that he is indispensible to Idaho and must stay in office for the good of Idaho. He also must have focus group tested the "I was profiled" excuse. I read through the comments at the TV station's web site about the interview, and the people who were defending Craig said they believe he was set up and targeted in the sting. They are desperate to find any reason to quell the cognitive disonance of a righteous (self righteuos IMHO) servant of Idaho doing the nasty outside of marriage and with a man, no less. I have always found Craig to be a smug bastard, but then again, I'm a Democrat living in Idaho.

[JoeBlough]

So the Queen of Idaho is bi-sexual. Big deal. What sucks (no pun) is that he's a hypocrite about it. Waste of skin.

[cognitorex]

"Don't Ask...Don't Tap".
There are four basic sexes and accommodations and conventions applicable thereto. There are men who are physically attracted to women, men who are physically attracted to men and women vice-versa.
The Republican party rules are quite clear. You can serve your country in the military if you are a male attracted to males or female attracted to females as long as you keep your sexual orientation secret and particularly do not discomfort your heterosexual comrades in arms.
If a G.I. were to roll over in his bunk on a warm summer's eve and make a clear request by voice or by body signals that he wished a fellow G.I. to join him in a sexual encounter he would by law have thus truncated his government career.
Public toilet decorum, by universally accepted convention, mandates don't ask, don't tap. Having some other gentleman address you while urinating with, "Hey, that's a nice Johnson you have there." clearly severs sexual oriented privacy, a verbal equivalent to Mr. Craig's toe tapping.
Mr. Craig, you tapped, you "told."
If you have found a gray area in the rules of toilet etiquette that allow you to discomfort your fellow citizenry; if you have a winning argument overriding the Republican fiat that holding a government office or military position is closed to those who 'tap', 'tell' or reveal that are sexually attracted to their same sex, then I wish to hear your rationale.
Furthermore, I appreciate that your cosmic level hypocrisy helps send the myth of the GOP being the family values party to the crapper. This an election boon of wonderful proportions. Yet, please consider, for our gay troops and others, that if in your heart you know full well that you can serve your state and country despite your 'tapping' that your previous stance on gay issues may have been in error.

Labels: don't ask, don't tell, family values comes a crapper, gay rights, gays in military, hypocrisy, Larry Craig

[Johnbo]

It must be hard being in such a beautiful state surrounded by so many crazy, cowboy rednecks. Any state that elects someone like Larry Craig, or for that matter, Helen Chenoweth - may her crazy ass rest in peace, can't be the smartest state in the country.

I don't know about the local interview, but I would have loved to have heard SOMEONE play the tape to Craig's face of Craig ranting about former President Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky affair. The real story about this whole bathroom cruising affair - the one that keeps it in the headlines and in the punch lines - is the jaw-dropping hypocrisy of the right-wing in this country and how they've used the issues of "family values" to build their empire and take in the gullible.

And, I LOVE the "profiling" angle. Now he can commiserate with the blacks and people of Middle Eastern descent in the United States. The sad thing about Craig's fall is that he wasn't brought down for all of the dealing with the special interests to trade away the natural resources of Idaho and the rest of the West.

[my2petpeeves]

It was obvious to those of us watching in Idaho that someone advised Craig to use the "profiling" talking point, and I think it was for the "circle the wagons" effect. Idaho against the rest of you. It was Craig's way of saying, "How dare they profile a white man." He isn't trying to get people to commiserate with blacks, or latinos, or people of middle eastern descent. Hell no. Trust me, in white Idaho, the thinking is that those "other" people probably deserve the profiling. But not a white, middle aged man in a suit. The message was clear: How dare they profile a white man, a senator, no less.
And I hope Helen Chenoweth's crazy ass is NOT resting peacefully.

[whatfreshhellisthis]

Wow, my2petpeeves, so you're the one! I thought there had to be at least one Democrat in Idaho. Proud to meet you. Hang in there, friend.

[my2petpeeves]

Thanks for your kind words. The last 6 years have been particularly hard as I have parted ways with Republican friends. Seems Republicans are like lemmings. I'm not sure what it would take to change their vote if the past 6 years haven't done it. There is supposedly an independent sector of Idaho voters that can be swayed, but I don't buy it. I have lived here for 35 years and the repubs have an iron grip on power. Crazy Rep. Bill Sali is evidence that Repub and independent voters would rather vote for a wacko than ever, ever, ever cast their votes for a democrat. The overwhelming Mormon population of southern Idaho doesn't help matters. Most are very hard core Repub.

[transendentilist]

I feel for ya, man. I'm a democrat living in Ohio. Samey same.

[unclebucky]

These are despiccable people. I mean Craig, his wife, Lauer, and the people behind the scenes who have orchestrated this rehabilitation.

Too bad for Mrs. McWideStance (I am listening to Steph Miller), but I think she was in denial for YEARS about this (everyone has gaydar, ya know).

Craig has made a deal to stand in sackcloth and ashes (as it were) and MSNBC has agreed to be the venue. Everyone is getting a little something for this performance.

Buncha crooks and liars.

Ugh.

--UB.

[transendentilist]

I beg to differ. I know you are not used to seeing the truth being broadcast on the tele, but it happens every now and then. Craig needs to be pillaried in public. He lied to you, to me, and the rest of America, and he is still lying. He has no public trust. He traded it for gay sex with a total stranger, in a men's shithouse. Doesn't get much lower than that.
Lauer is doing his job as a journalist. This is news, and it should be.

[desertdweller]

Why not use a REAL investigative journalist like Barbara Walters?

[unclebucky]

They "took all the investigative reporters to the woods and shot them in cold blood." Whatever reporters are left are very careful to mind their manners in front of the actual owners of the MSM.

70 years from now, we will find the "graves" of these investigative reporters and it will come to light that this was an intentional fascist assassination of the Fourth Estate.

Ugh.

--UB.

[eugenegerard]

The whole leadership of the Republican Party are sexual pervs. That is how they keep them in line.

[KnoxBlues1]

GOP really stands for Gay Old Party.

[Horus]

I hate gays almost as much as you do.

[eugenegerard]

Bush participated in orgies. No one is grilling him over it. It just isn't fair.

[transendentilist]

Orgies aren't illegal. I hate bush, but do you have any evidence? Or is this just a baseless claim?

[sink]

Bush didn't become known as an "anti-orgy" guy, only to find out (although we've not gotten proof on Craig, but you get my point) that he was, while being Mr. Anti-Orgy, engaging in orgies.

[transendentilist]

I've heard alot of things about bushie the toad, but this is a new one. I don't think he really likes women.

[Imhotep]

"I am not gay. I never have been gay." That makes him a heterosexual perv then. Peace

[aristippe]

Why has no one ever asked about his reasons for being at the airport that day? Was he traveling?

[elkhound]

He was traveling from Washington D.C. back to Boise. My understanding is that he often "connects" through Minneapolis.

[AurigaRa]

I'll bet!!!

[bdl0715]

He probably flies Northwest Air. They connect through Minneapolis.

[aristippe]

thanks.

[JessWonderin]

The story noted that the terminal he was "tapping in" for his connecting flight required him to actually walk down several walkways passing four known, signed, open public MENS ROOMS to get to the "cruising stalls" AND would have required him afterward to walk BACK past those four "Narrow Stall" Public Restrooms to get back to his flight terminal . . . a brisk must walk help loosen thins for an easier wide stand sit down . . .

Gay is not an issue - hypocrisy and Hate kills . . .