Sen. Larry Craig Creating Pain And Headlines

Larry Craig
AP
Larry Craig

The Republican headache that is the Larry Craig scandal just turned into a migraine. By signaling that he might reconsider his decision to resign, the humiliated Republican has extended his party's pain--the headlines, the late night TV jokes, the discomfort within the Senate Republican Caucus.

Perhaps no one should be surprised. Two things have happened since Craig offered what GOP leaders had hoped would be a quick, clean conclusion to the scandal. One is heightened commentary criticized the actions of police in such "sting" operations targeting behavior that on its face is essentially benign. The other is a raft of stories about the decision by fellow Republicans to push Craig overboard to protect themselves.

In that context, Craig sees a chance to push back. That is not an auspicious turn of events for his party.

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