BOISE, IDAHO — So what are people in one of the nation's most conservative states saying about the gay-sex scandal surrounding their much-revered, oft-elected Sen. Larry E. Craig?
Family-values organizations, powerful in Idaho, want his head. Politicians, most of them Republicans like Craig, want more facts. Gays, a seemingly small group here, are embarrassed and yet strangely appeased by the spotlight on a politician who consistently has voted against gay-rights legislation.
The rest of the folks don't know what to think.
The repercussions on Craig's career have been immediate. On Wednesday, at the request of Republican leaders, he agreed to temporarily give up four Senate committee seats. At least three Republican lawmakers called for his resignation. Among them was Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who told CNN that "when you plead guilty to a crime, then you shouldn't serve."
Earlier this month, Craig pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, stemming from a June incident in a men's restroom at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The senator allegedly made a sexual advance toward an undercover police officer who was there as part of a sting operation to curtail lewd behavior in public bathrooms. Craig's arrest came after decades-long rumors about his sexual orientation.
News about Craig has dominated Boise in the past few days. And reaction has run the gamut from confusion to indignation.
"I guess he's human. But if he did do those things, they should be exposed," said J.D. Walker, a laborer who was sweeping a sidewalk four blocks from the state Capitol. "People with that kind of power should be held to a little higher standard."
Adam Graham, a longtime resident and Republican voter, said he had hoped Craig would set the record straight, but the senator's comments this week did not seem to help his cause.
"I thought his statements might clear things up, change my mind, but they didn't," Graham said. "I don't take pleasure in saying it, but I don't think Craig is very credible at this point."
On Tuesday, a day after his arrest became public, Craig stood in downtown Boise and told reporters: "I am not gay and never have been."
The letters in Wednesday's Idaho Statesman, Boise's hometown newspaper, reflected anger and a sense of betrayal.
