Hypocrite of the Week

Goes to the entire GOP. Mitt Romney, Mitch McConnell and every other hypocrite that called on Larry "Wide Stance" Craig to resign.

While I find the circumstances aroung the Craig ordeal amusing. The whole legality issue around what Craig did is actually perplexing. He made foot contact and hand gestures to an undercover agent and gets arrested for disorderly conduct. The Republican Machine turns on him faster than Barry Bonds on a Derek Lowe fast ball. A few days after the story breaks, Larry resigns under pressure from his party.

Compare this to David Vitter who admitted to engaging in sex with a prostitute (while also married). Last I checked, that was in fact a crime. Did Senator Vitter have calls on him to resign? Nope. Where was Mitt Romney with his self righteous indignation?

Salon breaks down the differences in the two stories. Here is an excerpt that explains the hypocricy.

On MSNBC's Dan Abrams Report last night, Joan Walsh and Pat Buchanan argued vehemently about the Craig matter, during which Buchanan admitted that Republicans care about sex scandals when it is "especially against homosexual activity"

To underscore that point rather powerfully, during that segment Emily Heil of Roll Call reported this:

If you look at David Vitter, I couldn't find anyone to talk to me about him in the days after his scandal. No one would talk to about it -- they said this is a private matter, this is a family member. And when [Vitter] eventually met with Republicans behind closed doors, they gave him a hearty round of applause, as I was told. I don't think Senator Craig is going to get that kind of reception.
That report is consistent with articles in the immediate aftermath of the Vitter disclosures, such as this article in Louisiana's News Star -- entitled: "GOP Leaders Support Vitter":
Republican leaders generally are circling the wagons around embattled U.S. Sen. David Vitter, Louisiana Republican Party Chairman Roger Villere said Thursday.

"The consensus is they don't want him to resign," Villere said after spending hours in phone consultation with Republicans for the past three days.

What wretched and transparent deceit. Can we at least dispense with the fiction that the Moral Values Senate caucus giving rousing applause to David Vitter is motivated by anything resembling actual principles when forcing Larry Craig to resign?

Craig's crime in the eyes of his party.... being gay.