Weekly Weigh-in - Saying Goodbye Is Hard to Do

Well, there were certainly lots of goings-on this past week -- the military (for once not circling the wagons) finding that Blackwater was "at fault" in that recent massacre of Iraqi civilians, the clown President protecting poor children from, uh, healthcare -- but it would seem wrong somehow if I didn't comment on the (surprisingly) continuing saga of our old friend Senator Craig.

Having done something gay, then proclaimed himself "not gay," having promised to resign from the Senate in September, then deciding not to resign pending the outcome of an attempt to withdraw his guilty plea, while suggesting that he would still resign if that attempt was unsuccessful, the decisive senator has currently decided to serve out his term, after all, in spite of a judge's decree that the plea will stand. That's another 15 months, then, of bathroom jokes and related hilarity. Better yet, as noted in this here blog back in August, it remains just another of the many electoral albatrosses -- the war, the president, healthcare, the president, corruption, the president -- hanging around the collective neck of the Republican party.

I mean, can you imagine what it'll be like if this nutty fruitcake actually sticks around until next November? The Democrats would have a field day invoking his name at every turn (sorta like Giuliani with 9/11) and will inevitably have great success in depressing turnout of the so-called "family values" voters just as the Foley scandal did in '06. Indeed, while the newsworthiness of the whole sordid affair is somewhat arguable versus war, disease, famine, and that fourth horseman, it could be much much more meaningful if the guy actually sticks it out. I mean, other than Bush himself, he would probably be the single biggest ally the Dems could have in their quest for an electoral KO. In fact, if it weren't for my continuing doubts about Hillary Clinton's electability -- though she does seem to look stronger and stronger as the months go by -- I'd say Craig's continued presence would all but ensure at least two years of complete Democratic domination. (As it is, even if he does go, the smart money is still on the Dems increasing their margins in House and Senate).

Of course, Craig's Republican buddies still have some time to twist his arm some more, and I expect some of them are already at it. That said, it's amazing how laissez-faire, or rather encouraging, some, like Arlen Specter and fellow Idahoan Mike Crap-o, are about the whole thing. It's downright bizarre behavior for politicians. I mean, encouraging Craig to stay is tantamount to endorsing political suicide for the party as a whole. It's almost as if these two guys, at least, have simply resigned themselves to an '08 slaughter and so don't care to even bother with pushing for what's clearly the right call politically. All the same, perhaps the less nihilistic GOPers will have their way with Craig eventually (um, by which I mean they'll get him to resign :).

In other news...well, like I said, there was lots to talk about this past week, but all this Schadenfreude has left me drained. I think we can wait til next week for more exciting adventures of the Bloated Mr. P.