permalink | all links |So Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky on Wednesday sent a blunt message, a threat meant to have the effect achieved on Saturday afternoon, when Mr. Craig announced his resignation.
Mr. McConnell enlisted the junior Idaho senator, Michael D. Crapo, a fellow Republican who was close to Mr. Craig, to warn him that he would face excruciating public hearings into his conduct, similar to the threat raised by Democrats against former Senator Bob Packwood of Oregon, who was accused of sexual harassment.
Mr. McConnell and Mr. Craig had served on the Packwood investigatory panel. Such hearings would no doubt attract extensive television coverage, possible testimony from the police officer, and a vivid replay of the embarrassing arrest, and would also explore whether there were other, similar incidents in Mr. Craig’s past.
The warning, several Republicans involved in the negotiations said, figured into Mr. Craig’s decision to give up his Senate seat.
permalink | all links |Republican leaders including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) were furious that Craig kept his guilty plea secret from the party and left the Republicans vulnerable to morality attacks heading into the 2008 presidential and congressional elections. McConnell described Craig's conduct as "unforgivable."
It wasn't too long ago that Governor Fletcher was the poster boy for Republican criminality -- the pardons still evoke some disbelief among those not immersed in KY politics. But he simply can't compete with any of the recent Republican scandals -- prostitutes, lewdness, and pages really seem to catch the imagination.
