Creativity is great, but plagiarism is faster

On August 8th, ultra-conservative Idaho Senator Larry Craig pleaded guilty to charges stemming from an alleged sexual solicitation in an airport bathroom. This was the first news regarding Senator Craig’s lewd conduct charge since his arrest on June 11.

The New York Times has been covering the story since its catapult toward national attention. According to the Times, Craig chose to plead guilty without alerting a lawyer or family, hoping that things would quickly blow over.

Karl Vick and Paul Kane, from the Washington Post, said Craig pleaded guilty because he was nervous about attention from the Idaho Statesman, Boise’s major newspaper, which had been investigating reports about his sexual orientation.

Instead, his decision to plead guilty has brought ostracism and ignominy from his supporters and peers, both in Idaho and Washington.

In an interview with CNBC, former Massachusetts Governor and republican candidate for president, Mitt Romney, criticized Craig’s alleged actions.

"It reminds us that people who are elected to public office continue to disappoint," Romney said. "And they somehow think that if they vote the right way on issues of significance or they can speak a good game that we'll just forgive and forget."

I am an Idaho native, so the story is close to home. I have grown up knowing Craig’s character and applauding his positive work done for Idaho. Craig has an outstanding overall reputation for serving Idaho, and has a consistent history of being anti-homosexual.

His history does not rule out the possibility that Craig is gay. The Idaho Statesman says that a forty year old man with close ties to Republican officials told them he had engaged in oral-sex with Craig in Washington D.C.’s Union Station, probably in 2004. Though this story has never been proven, it is worth noting. But shouldn’t his clearly heterosexual history at least beg the question? Why would a man who has made it palpably clear he is not gay, solicit gay sex in an airport bathroom?

Yet, no one is asking this question. Nothing but negative quotes and disparaging headlines have graced the covers of media outlets nationwide.

What about the possibility of entrapment? The police report from the Washington Post reads like an awkward middle school dance. The police officer reported that Craig “tapped his right foot.” The officer recognized this as a signal “used by persons wishing to engage in lewd conduct.”

Craig’s explanation from CNN.com read much differently. “I sit down to go to the bathroom, and you said our feet bumped. I believe they did ... because I reached down and scooted over and the next thing I knew, under the bathroom divider comes a card that says 'police.’ ”

I am not advocating Senator Craig’s total innocence. My message is simple: give Larry Craig a break. Give a venerable U.S. Senator, with a wealth of good deeds under his belt, the benefit of the doubt. Believe him when he says that he made a mistake in pleading guilty, and give him a second chance.