Today, Senator Larry Craig announced that he would not resign from his Senate seat, even after his September 1^st address, in which he told of his plans to retire early. “I have apologized for what I have caused. I am deeply sorry,” said a then an embarrassed and humbled Senator Craig. He told the small gathering of friends and family (wife, Suzanne, and two of his three children) at his home in Boise that times as serious as these are ones that “deserve the Senate’s and the full nation’s attention.”

A month has gone by and an apparently emboldened Craig told his Idaho constituents (on whose behalf he had promised resignation, their best interests always at heart, seemingly) via press-release that he was “extremely disappointed” in Judge Porter’s order denying Craig’s motion to withdraw his guilty plea. The Senator apparently too is interested in withdrawing his apology (After all, what is there to be sorry for? Suzanne? Kids? Right?) and his impending resignation. “I will continue to serve Idaho in the United States Senate,” said Craig, five days after the September 30^th deadline he gave himself to leave office. Listing reasons for why he will remain in his seat while he explores his “additional legal options,” Craig told voters, “I have seen that it is possible for me to work here effectively.” In addition, the Idaho senator expressed his desire to clear his name in the Senate committee on ethics, a task which is impossible while he is not serving.

The Republicans, having just withstood a monumental defeat in the congressional elections of ’06, are facing strong current in their voyage without a sail up the windless river to the day of the ‘08 presidential elections against the Democrats, and certainly do not need any scandal-related hindrances to their progress. Senator Craig’s not-unexpected promise reversal, leaving him to remain on Capitol Hill, was met with mixed, though mostly and not surprisingly sour, reviews. Nevada Senator John Ensign, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, has the job of defending two dozen senatorial seats that are up for grabs in the ’08 elections and seemed far from optimistic about Craig’s decision to stay. “He had his day in court,” he said, “the judge ruled against him. I think he should do the right thing and honor his decision [to leave]. I believe the best thing for him to do is to keep his word. I could not feel more strongly about it.” Ensign also threw in that an ethics committee investigation (with whom Craig is hoping to fight for a clean slate) “is going to be embarrassing for the Senate and embarrassing for his family.”

No matter which side of the isle you are on, I think that the ensuing strategical discussion (or whether or not there should be any debate at all) could be interesting. Is the Idaho Senator a perverted old man who was caught red-handed cruising airport restrooms for a little under-the-stall-divider action or is his pooping stance just a touch wide? Should his Republican colleagues be unified in their support of their fellow politician while he tries to defend his name and eventual legacy or do they disown him?

What I will say is this: Generally, closeted Republicans should be more cautious. The ensuing hypocrisy of being found out is embarrassing for everyone. Unfortunately, living a life in the closet seems to force people to express their sexuality via venues that are not only disgusting but often illegal. If you are married, if you have a record of congressional decision-making that perpetrates a political culture of discrimination towards millions of homosexuals, if you speak out from a religious or moral standpoint against homosexuality, if you do any of these things, then you had better be pretty goddamn sure that you don’t get caught soliciting sex from an underage boy. Probably refrain from any urges to offer twenty dollars to an undercover police officer in exchange for the opportunity to suck his dick in a public park.