A matter of dignity

Republican Idaho Sen. Larry Craig's day went from bad to worse on Tuesday. It started with the Roll Call newspaper account of Craig's guilty plea earlier this month to a charge stemming from an undercover police operation in a Minneapolis airport men's room. Shortly thereafter, Craig resigned from Mitt Romney's presidential campaign. Later in the day, Senate Republican leaders called for an ethics committee review of the case, in which an undercover police officer accused him of soliciting sex.

What did Craig do? He held a news conference to repeatedly declare that he isn't, nor has he ever been, a gay man. He said he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge in the case because he was feeling the pressure of an ongoing Idaho Statesman newspaper investigation into his personal life. Craig, 62, says he committed no wrongdoing and, in hindsight, shouldn't have pleaded guilty.

On Wednesday, three fellow Republicans, including Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., called on Craig to step down, and GOP party leaders pushed him from senior committee posts.

Even as his base has eroded, Craig has pursued business as usual. Is this yet another example of a career politician so insulated and isolated that he doesn't have the good sense, let alone the good grace, to step aside? Or is Craig's explanation of his conduct true?

Craig has been dogged by rumors about his sexuality for more than two decades. At the same time, he has been a staunch opponent of same-sex marriage and was one of President Clinton's most vocal critics with respect to the impeachment proceedings over the president's sexual misconduct.

Perhaps the most disgraceful aspect of Craig's conduct was attempting to use his position as a U.S. senator to escape responsibility for the alleged sexual solicitation. According to a police report, Craig showed the arresting officer his business card identifying him as a U.S. senator and asked the officer, "What do you think of that?"

Here's what we think: The mantle of U.S. senator may connote some special privileges, but it is not a "get-out-of-jail free" card. Those entrusted to lead the nation take an oath to uphold its laws. As Sen. McCain, also a presidential contender, told CNN on Wednesday, "My opinion is that when you plead guilty to a crime, you shouldn't serve. That's not a moral stand. That's not a holier-than-thou. It's just a factual situation."

This issue has surfaced at a time when Congress' approval rating is perilously low. Craig let down the people closest to him as well as his constituents and the Republican Party. Worse, he has left Americans more disillusioned about their elected officials.

Craig has to make some difficult decisions. Will he forge ahead? If so, will he run for another term in office? Or will he step down, recognizing that this matter — however he parses it — will be an ongoing distraction?