Senator Larry Craig, a founding member of Cork Soakers anonymous
Another member of the party of Abraham Lincoln has been outed as an afficionado of hot man-on-man action. U.S. Senator Larry Craig was busted in June by a plainclothes police officer investigating lewd conduct complaints at the St. Paul-Minneapolis Airport. Little did the Senator know that the airport was hot—they had just begun an undercover operation investigating rampant gay activity in the airport's latrines. If you're interested, read the arresting officer's report, along with The Senator's laughable explanation [1]. While I don't think twice about a politician's proclivities—whatever way they swing—I do think twice when a vociferously anti-gay senator turns out to enjoy a touch of cork-soaking himself.
It's difficult to find the right nomenclature for an episode like this when you're publishing a story in a family-oriented site such as All This Is That. I first turned to Thesarus.com, which suggested the words I was looking for to describe one of the Senator's favorite acts was "cake-server." Now, that's actually not bad at all. . .but I decided to go with the near-homonym cork-soaker.
Senator Craig pleaded guilty this month to a charge of disorderly conduct for his actions in a public men's bathroom. Paradoxically, Senator Craig in the last couple of years:
- Voted yes on the constitutional same-sex marriage ban.
- Voted no on adding sexual orientation to definition of hate crimes.
- Voted no on expanding hate crimes to include sexual orientation.
- Voted yes on prohibiting same-sex marriage.
- Voted no on prohibiting job discrimination by sexual orientation
The Senator appears to have soaked a large number of corks over the last few years. In 2006, a gay activist said he had spoken with men who had sexual encounters with Craig, including in the restrooms at Union Station. Craig's office told the Spokesman-Review of Spokane, Wash., that the allegations were "completely ridiculous."
As early as 1982, accusations were being lobbed against the Senator. Check out this vintage 1982 YouTube video (Frank Reynolds...wow) of the Senator denying allegations of rampant cork soaking and cake serving:
Craig, who served in the National Guard, has also spoken out against homosexuals serving in the military, despite his own service, about which no allegations have yet surfaced.
Trent Lott, Senator Craig, Senator John Ashcroft.
Singing group, or gay cabal? You be the judge!
Craig was a member of the "Singing Senators," a now-defunct Republican barbershop quartet. It included Sen. Trent Lott and then-Sen. John D. Ashcroft, who broke up the group when he was named attorney general. Were Senators Lott, Ashcroft, and Jeffords also fellow-travelers in the cork-soaking world?
As of today, anyhow, the incumbent Senator Craig is still a contestant in the 2008 Senate race/ No one knows with certainty how his continuing the race might fly in his home state of Idaho, a hotbed of Mormon and ultra-conservative beliefs (not to mention the Nazis). But we can guess. Perhaps Idahoans are a less conservative lot than we've been led to believe. Perhaps Idahoans don't even mind an occassional cork soaking episode at the airport. I'm pretty sure we'll find out soon.
Other recent articles on gay Reublican politicians:
Reverend Haggard says he is "cured," and no longer gay
"I am a deceiver and a liar." -- Rev. Ted Haggard
Speaker Hastert Failed To Act On Page Scandal Because He Was 'Intimately Linked' To Foley
This is the kind of October surprise we need: Mark Foley Hands Seat To Democrats
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[1] According to Roll Call, the arresting officer sat in a bathroom stall as part of an undercover operation investigating previous reports of sexual activity in the bathroom.
After about 13 minutes of sitting in the stall, he observed Craig linger outside and frequently peak through the stall's door crack at him. Craig then entered the stall next to his. The officer filed the following in his report of the incident as to what happened next:
At 1216 hours, Craig tapped his right foot. I recognized this as a signal used by persons wishing to engage in lewd conduct. Craig tapped his toes several times and moves his foot closer to my foot.... The presence of others did not seem to deter Craig as he moved his right foot so that it touched the side of my left foot which was within my stall area. Craig then proceeded to swipe his hand under the stall divider several times.
Craig stated "that he has a wide stance when going to the bathroom and that his foot may have touched mine," the arrest report states. Craig also told the arresting officer that he reached down with his right hand to pick up a piece of paper that was on the floor. "It should be noted that there was not a piece of paper on the bathroom floor, nor did Craig pick up a piece of paper," the arresting officer said in the report.
According to the police report, at one point Craig handed the plainclothes sergeant who arrested him a business card that identified him as a U.S. Senator and said, "What do you think about that?"
In a press release on his website, Craig said that the officer misconstrued his actions, that he was not involved in any inappropriate conduct, and had failed to seek legal counsel: "In hindsight, I should not have pled guilty. I was trying to handle this matter myself quickly and expeditiously."
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I love this story. He pled guilty to a wide stance. And cork soaker is both aurally and visually apt. So, yes, I prefer your choice. Nice job digging this one up, Jack.
ReplyDeleteAnd would you believe me if I tell you that my word verifcation for this post is wedtdik or it was the first time now it's bedhimm