THE LARRY CRAIG SHOW IS STILL THE BEST CIRCUS IN TOWN

Justice is rarely as swift for us as it is for admitted disorderly conductor Larry Craig but it still doesn't look like it will be quick enough. His hearing regarding his desire to withdraw the guilty plea after he tried playing footsie with a cute undercover cop in a humpy Minneapolis Airport toilet, is set for September 26-- just 4 days before he promised to resign if not cleared. His Republican colleagues-- especially fellow closet case Mitch McConnell-- dread the idea of ever even seeing him again. According to today's Hotline

"Craig's return would be much to the dismay" of Senate Min. Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and other GOPers "who would prefer Craig never set foot in the Capitol again. In statements from his aides, Craig has indicated that if he is 'cleared' of the guilty plea he would return to the Senate and then deal" with the Ethics investigation into his airport incident. "But Craig's aides have pointedly declined to address" what MN legal experts say is the best-case scenario for Craig -- "that a judge could toss out his guilty plea and then set a trial date for later this year or early next year. Under this scenario he could return to the Senate next month and fight both the criminal case" in MN and the Ethics investigation.

Maybe the reason Republicans dread the Craig scandal so much is because they remember how badly tarred they were when another right-wing GOP hypocrite, Mark Foley, was accused of molesting boys. The late night comedians have finally stopped talking about it but not before his name and the GOP became synonymous with closet cases, hypocrisy and child-molesting. And now those same comedians are using Larry Craig as a nightly staple for their television routines. Just last night Jay Leno, David Leterman, and Jimmy Kimmel were all using Craig as the butt of their jokes.
Leno: "Restroom enthusiast Senator Larry Craig said today the only reason he plead guilty to that incident in the Minneapolis airport bathroom was because he was being hounded by reporters investigating rumors that he was gay. And what better way to shoot down those rumors." And Letterman wasn't bad either: "Senator Craig from Idaho is blaming the media for his guilty plea, especially that cute guy from the Associated Press."

But let's give ourselves a little reality check here-- almost 2 months elapsed between his arrest and his guilty plea, so he did have plenty of time to think this over thoroughly (or to consult an attorney). Phil Goldsmith in today's Philadelphia Daily News brings everyone up to date on the Larry Craig Show and expresses extreme concern about Senator Craig's fitness for high office, not because of any possible moral shortcomings but just based on his lack of intelligence.

People who have the power to decide our fate in the world should be subject to a simple intelligence test. For practical matters (there are 535 members of Congress), we need to keep it simple.
Let's see how you would do:

1. When you sign your name to an official document that threatens your liberty, should you read it first?

2. Does the Constitution guarantee you the right to counsel before making your plea or only afterward?

3. When you leave a voice mail for someone, should you first make sure you dialed the right number before recording a message disclosing that you're trying to fool your constituents by fudging your resignation speech?

UPDATE: IN DEFENSE OF LARRY CRAIG... BEYOND THE HYPOSCRISY

Former NJ Senator Bob Torricelli, is no fan of Larry Craig's, but he offers a clear and concise defense in the outrageous case against him. It is because of right-wing extremists and bigots like Larry Craig that the kinds of entrapment laws that were used to entrap him even exist. I'd love to hear Larry Craig come out and say he opposes them.