Now on Saturday, I did hear about the Craig resignation, but I was a little too busy to write about it. In fact, Craig's resignation didn't surprise me, since the GOP has been forcing Craig out when the scandal story first broke out on Roll Call. Well, Senator Larry Craig announced his intent to resign, as you read in this September 2, 2007 CNN story, or view it on YouTube:
So that should be the end of the story, right? Of course not. Because three days later, the story changes to where Craig is reconsidering his decision to resign from the Senate. In reality, we should have all looked closely at the original press release and the press conference of Senator Craig here. Therefore it is with sadness and deep regret that I announce that it is my intent to resign from the Senate, effective September 30. Craig parsed the language here. He specifically never said that he will resign from the Senate, but rather that it was his intent to resign from the Senate. According to Websters Dictionary, the word intent comes from the Latin word intendere which means the act of stretching out. As an adjective, the word intent means "having the mind, attention, or will concentrated on something or some end or purpose." Senator Craig tried to pull a fast one here with this resignation speech. Craig knew that the Republican Party was pressuring him to resign from the Senate, even as Craig was ramping up his own PR-campaign of stating he did nothing "inappropriate." This entire resignation speech was really about trying to placate the GOP calls for his head, while Craig fights against the State of Minnesota in order to reverse the guilty plea of his conviction. You can see this plan in that Craig gives himself an entire month before he actually steps down. If Craig is successful in forcing the state of Minnesota to reverse his conviction, then you can bet that Craig will not resign. If the state of Minnesota refuses to reverse his conviction, well, we're in a whole new world of trouble for Larry Craig. What is even more incredible is how Craig spilled this entire defense scheme in a phone call to his lawyer. Unfortunately, Craig called the wrong number. You can listen to the phone message here through YouTube:
The latest McClatchy News story reports that Craig will resign if he can't overturn the conviction:
WASHINGTON — Idaho Sen. Larry Craig will walk away from his job if he's not able to overturn his guilty plea to disorderly conduct in an undercover sex sting by Sept. 30, he told the Senate's top Republican on Wednesday.
But Craig also said that if he's able to clear his name and establish that he wasn't soliciting an undercover police officer in an airport bathroom, he intends to return to the Senate and finish the 16 months remaining in his term.
"It is my intent to fight the case before the (Senate) Ethics Committee while I am a sitting senator," Craig said in a statement Wednesday. "I would prefer to have that case resolved on its merits."
The Senate's minority leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he spoke on Wednesday with Craig, who gave him "an update on where he is and to dispel any confusion that might exist with regard to his intention."
Craig, who announced on Saturday his intent to resign, backtracked on his resignation Tuesday night. Craig now says he'll fight to withdraw his guilty plea, and on Wednesday, his lawyers fired off a letter to the Senate Ethics Committee asking it to drop its investigation.
There will be certainly more to come....
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