Larry Craig: the Fidgeting Senator

August 28, 2007

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There's nothing like a gay congressional scandal to perk up a Tuesday afternoon. We’re going to blame this on the lunar eclipse. Or the foolishness that happens when folks stay in the closet for too long. Things are really going south for the Republican Senator from Idaho.

We’ve been checking in with CNN all day for more on the developing “lewd conduct” and wow, it just keeps getting weirder.

Other people can jump on the histrionics that these stories usually inspire. (Yes, the guy supports a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, and yes, he voted for DOMA, and yes, he’s against expanding hate-crimes legislation to gays.) This story is weird enough on its own. The “possibly hiding from myself in plain sight” thing is the least interesting part.

Here’s what happened: According to the police report, back in June, Senator Craig was spying on a dude in the stall next to him in a Minneapolis Airport bathroom. The dude turned out to be police officer on stake-out, who took very detailed notes. And thank heavens for that, because they’re hilarious.

Craig would then peek through the crack in the door (the report makes note of his blue eyes…), look down at his hands, “fidget” with this fingers and then peek back through the stall crack.

Senator Craig has repeatedly said that his actions were definitely “misinterpreted.” According to the report, if you “tap your foot” it is "a signal used by persons wishing to engage in lewd conduct." Which we find terrifying. We’ve been to a number of airport bathrooms. What does washing your hands mean?

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