The more I've seen on the news and read online, the more I'm convinced that these elected officials who've been caught in these types of acts are suffering from what I'm dubbing convenient dementia. This time it's Republican Senator Larry Craig who's been stricken with this horrible disease. According to a report from The IdahoStatesman, a news source from his home state, Craig was arrested on June 11th in a Minnesota airport men's room for allegedly soliciting sex from an undercover officer. The details of that arrest can be found here.
Since an arrest was made, Craig was required to appear in court...an event that occurred earlier this month. Here's what the Statesman reported...
"News about the June 11 arrest at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International
Airport was reported on Roll Call's Web site Monday. According to police and
court records obtained by Roll Call, Craig pleaded guilty Aug. 8 to
misdemeanor disorderly conduct in Hennepin County District Court. He paid $575
in fines and fees. A 10-day jail sentence was suspended and Craig received one
year's unsupervised probation.
Craig on Monday denied any misconduct. "At the time of this incident,
I complained to the police that they were misconstruing my
actions," he said in a written statement. "I was not involved in any
inappropriate conduct. I should have had the advice of counsel in resolving this
matter. In hindsight, I should not have pled guilty. I was trying to handle this
matter myself quickly and expeditiously."
Craig, through his staff, declined to answer questions."
Of course he declined to answer questions, because the first one would be why in the world would a longstanding Senator go into court and plead guilty without either having a lawyer with him or, at the very least, consulting one before heading into court? The answer is very simple...he was guilty and he was hoping not to handle the "matter" as he described, but hoping it would just go away.
Since the story broke yesterday, Craig has decided to take the dementia route by trying to make it look like he wasn't thinking clearly enough to do what anyone would do if arrested...hire an attorney. Here's the interesting twist I know you're waiting for...
"Craig, 62, was elected to Congress in 1980. Should he win re-election in
2008 and complete his term, he would be the longest-serving Idahoan ever in
Congress. His record includes a series of votes against gay rights and his
support of a 2006 amendment to the Idaho Constitution that bars gay marriage and
civil unions."
He has to claim that everything was misconstrued and that he shouldn't have gone to court without an attorney because his entire political life has an anti-gay record. The Statesman article has links and references to other instances where Craig's behavior has come into question, but this is just another example of convenient dementia...something more and more politicians seem to be catching. Maybe someone should check the water in Washington or, better yet, maybe these guys should just start telling the truth.
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