This story broke on Monday, but every day since then new info has come to light and there’s a lot we now know about the good Senator Larry Craig of Idaho--much more than we ever wanted to know. The first thing that came to my mind was the outing of Jim McGreevey of NJ, but that was different ‘cause he was hardly closeted in the first place and he immediately gave us the legendary “My truth...is that I am a gay American,” speech. It also reminded me of Mark Foley and especially Ted Haggard, the pastor from Colorado who got busted taking drugs with a male gigolo last October.
I really don’t know what to say. A conservative Republican with a 100% pro-family voting record and a good home life, and this happens? I cannot begin to understand what this guy was thinking. Now, of course, Craig is denying that he did what he clearly confessed to doing earlier this summer, which begs the question: If he didn’t do it, then why did he admit to doing it? Did he think he could sweep this under the rug? Either way, it leaves us with serious questions about the man’s judgment. It’s more than I can handle--realizing that there are people like this in positions of power in this country.
So, what do we do now? Well, most leaders in the Christian community--myself included--have called for Sen. Craig to resign. I think that Townhall.com’s Kevin McCullough is absolutely right when he says that Craig’s presence in the Senate will hurt the image of Republicans and, even if he stays on and continues to vote for legislation defending family values, we will all look like hypocrites. That is certainly not what either the Church or the Republican Party need right now. Don’t tell me that Craig is just another victim of mainstream media bias and that Barney Frank or Jim McGreevey haven’t been scrutinized nearly as much; as strange as it is to hear myself saying it, their political philosophies are consistent with their lifestyles while Craig’s is not.
As Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family remarked last year when Ted Haggard got caught, every time a purported man of God is caught in this lasciviousness, the enemies of God and the family are strengthened. He cited 2 Samuel 12:14, Nathan’s admonishment of David after his affair with Bathsheba and subsequent disposal of her husband, Uriah: (...by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme...). I couldn’t agree more. Remember, our most important witness is our lives, not our words.
Senator Craig must go. Bon voyage.
