Senator Craig - So What!

The bizarre story of soon to be ex Senator Craig serves not only as a perfect example of the stupidity that seems to infect so many of those we elect to serve us in Washington, but also gives a clear indication of the character of the leadership of the GOP party. Craig is gay or he isn't; it’s his business, not ours. He is however a victim of his own arrogance in letting himself be entrapped by the police, and an equal victim of the GOP Senate leadership's own anti-gay bias and willingness to turn on one of their own. Clearly, as one commentator noted, sympathy is not a GOP family value. But, the rest of us are culpable too, for tolerating a society that so marginalizes those of us who are different in any way that they are driven to such a desperate state.

So, where is the victim? Other than Craig, who is hardly a sympathetic character, I can't find one. Craig and the rest of Washington are rife with hypocrisy and mendacity. Where is the news in that? Craig is just one in long line of politicians, lately mostly Republicans, but with a good share of Democrats, who feel that they are exempt from any obligation to tell truth. Truth telling is to be left to others.

Virtually every single politician who has found himself caught with a hand in the cookie jar, up a skirt, or under an adjoining stall, has lied about it or tried to bury it and has come to see that lead to an unraveling of a career, a life, or a legacy. Rule number one for all who go to Washington - listen to mom; if you did it, 'fess up, it will go much easier. Instead, the first response is always to duck from any personal responsibility.

To be fair, the penchant for prevarication is not just a Republican strong suit. It is a hand that both sides of the aisle play. However, it seems to be the rule in the present Republican Party and the exception on the Democratic side. The problem for the Republicans is that the theme of the present administration is embrace the lie, both the big and the little, and it starts at the top with King George and First Lord of the Realm, Dick Cheney.

The Craig fiasco is as much a result of the king's policy of trickle down mendacity, tempered with callous disregard for common sense, as of Craig’s own character flaws. Integrity is not the currency of George's kingdom, so Craig is no surprise.

Craig twists in the wind and the beleaguered GOP rushes praise themselves for jettisoning him, but most of us have taken a "who cares" attitude. While rightfully concerned about the apparent entrapment, and baffled by Craig's inexplicable response, we are not at all surprised by the GOP leadership's rush for the exits, but that's certainly not new. No, the real news is that as a society we, except for the GOP senators, seem to care very little about this whole event other than we may enjoy the entertainment inherent in a public exposure of GOP hypocrisy.

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