The charitable Laura Turner says of Senator Craig’s arrest:
it makes me pretty uncomfortable to see a career and probably also a marriage and social life destroyed in this way.
My reply (at her site, reproduced here:)
The fact that Craig has consistently voted against any legal protections for gay citizens has contributed to the illegal bathroom sex venue. I realize there is some thrillseeking fun in public sex, but the police in a busy airport are asked to clean up the illegal activities in a public place that is intended for all ages to use. If a person enters that place and engages in well-understood coded behavior that would otherwise lead to a crime, and then pleads guilty to that offense — not to mention trying to use his Senate business card for intimidation or mitigation — why not throw the weight of the law at him?
He has contributed an environment that drives gays into the shadows, increasing the likelihood of public places being used for private activities, all while engaging in those activities. And he didn’t even tell his wife he had been arrested and pleaded guilty?
I don’t think the Senator deserves your discomfort. It seems to me that Slate and others are framing this through their attitudes — that his behavior was harmless and was part of a consensual activity — while if he had been asked to weigh in on cruising in an airport bathroom, his voting record suggests he would not be as charitable as you are.