Feeling Outrage over GOP hypocrisy

There's a new documentary film coming out that ought to put "coming out" in a whole new light ... especially with regard to Republican politicians.

Through interviews, news footage, and profiles of well-known U.S. government figures, Outrage tries to explain the curious phenomenon of right-wing GOP politicians who turn out to be gay and deep in the closet. While it apparently doesn't provide any surprises -- there are no revelations about, say, Larry Craig or our very own Gov. Charlie Crist -- there is plenty of speculation and enough evidence to suggest that further inquiry might be worthwhile.

For one thing, aside from formerly closeted gay politicians who've already outed themselves, including James McGreevey, ex-governor of New Jersey, and Jim Kolbe, former Arizona congressman, it is beyond the resources of any film to prove conclusively the sexual orientation of people such as ... Craig, California Rep. David Dreier and ... Crist. Still, [filmmaker Kirby] Dick is awfully persuasive, adroitly piling on the kindling in the service of convincing audiences that where there's smoke there's fire.

Outrage opens with an audiotape of the police questioning Craig after his famous encounter with an undercover officer in an airport men's room. But the key question here, as in the rest of the film, is not only what happened but also what the ramifications are: What leads people to vote against the interests of a group whose affinities they share[?]

That's the point right there: this film isn't about some prurient need to know who's gay and who's not. Rather, it's an exposé that seeks to reveal the hypocrisy of those on the right whose lives seriously and blatantly contradict their legislative votes and their public positions on issues involving the GLBT community. Naturally, critics (largely from the Right) will miss that message and claim that Dick is just out to "ruin the lives" of Republicans or some such nonsense like that. But if GLBT Republicans (and, yes, they're out there) weren't so self-loathing, they'd recognize that admitting their own personal nature and being publicly comfortable with it wouldn't "ruin" their lives, but enhance it by allowing them to be honest with themselves and others.

If there's one thing I can't stand, it's hypocrisy, and the Right in America seems to be full of it, on GLBT issues and on so very much more. Therefore, this film is particularly important to demonstrate how (if not why) so many Republicans manage to say one thing and do another ... again and again and again ...

I haven't seen Outrage yet, but if you have, I'd be interested to hear your perspectives in Comments. I'll update this post as soon as I've had a chance to see it; if it's playing somewhere in or near America's Taint™ (yeah, right), I'll look for it this week. Meanwhile, here's the trailer:

Not all barbershoppers are gay

Only the Republican Senator ones.

(L-R) Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.), former Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho), former Attorney General and Sen. John Ashcroft (R-Mo.)

Yesterday, the internets were buzzing about the allegations (broken on Big Head DC) that Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) patronized a male escort, leading to his surprising announcement that he will resign by the end of the year, in the middle of his term. So far, there's been no real corroboration of the Lott-is-gaiii allegations, but the escort, Benjamin Nicholas, issued the following statement late yesterday afternoon:

“Here’s my public comment, on-the-record: Sen. Lott and I have no current affiliation with one another. I’m sure he would appreciate no further scrutiny.”

I don't want to read too much into the fact that Nicholas said "no current affiliation," but left unanswered whether or not they had a past affiliation. It would, of course, be irresponsible not to speculate.

But, as a former barbershop singer, I strenuously object to any insinuation that singing barbershop music leads to teh gaiii. The correlation between barbershopping and teh gaiii is tenuous at best. However, the correlation between teh gaiii and hypocritical GOP Senators is undeniable: 4% is getting close to a pattern, no? (And I'm not even counting Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham ...)

So far, Larry Flynt has been somewhat silent on the matter:

HUSTLER Magazine has received numerous inquiries regarding the involvement of Larry Flynt and HUSTLER in the resignation of Trent Lott. Senator Lott has been the target of an ongoing HUSTLER investigation for some time now, due to confidential information that we have received.

Contrary to Big Head DC's crowing, I don't think this constitutes confirmation of the allegations. But stay tuned ... this one's going to be fun!

Today's Daily Schadenfreude: Blowin' Bob Allen

GUILTY.

That's the verdict for Florida's most (in)famous Republican gay sex seeker, Blowin' Bob Allen (R-Merritt Island), the Florida House member who was charged for agreeing to give an undercover office $20 for a blow job. Presumably, Blowin' Bob would be both the payer and the giver, a rare if not entirely unprecedented circumstance. At least, that's what I've heard ...

Blowin' Bob, whose escapades have been chronicled here throughout the process, is vowing to appeal the verdict, but his House colleagues are, shall we say, less than sanguine about his likelihood of vindication:

Although the offense is a misdemeanor not requiring expulsion from the House of Representatives, Allen's colleagues and Republican party leaders made it clear Friday night they consider resignation the appropriate move.

"Bob should have resigned from the Legislature a long time ago," said Rep. Mitch Needelman, R-Melbourne. "Once it got out of hand, he was embarrassing himself and his family and the House of Representatives. The only thing for him to do is to take what dignity he has left and resign now."

[...]

As with Needelman, House Speaker Marco Rubio, R-West Miami, left no doubt that he thinks Allen should resign.

Rubio removed Allen from all of his committee assignments, including the chairmanship of the House Energy Committee, when police said Allen asked if being a legislator might "help" him get out of trouble and a recording of his questioning by police indicated that he said he was afraid by the presence of large black men in the park.

He said the House will consider disciplinary action.

"The crime Rep. Allen has been convicted of is serious," Rubio said. "The House has reserved action on this matter to allow Rep. Allen the right to conduct his defense and to ensure that all the facts were made available."

He added, "This conviction makes it impossible for Rep. Allen to represent responsibly the citizens of his district. Furthermore, it is my personal belief that it harms the reputation of the Florida House of Representatives."

Expulsion would require a recommendation by a special investigative committee, then a two-thirds vote of the House.

You know, it really is astonishing how vehemently guys like Allen and his comrade-in-arms-on-knees, Sen. Larry Craig (R-Third Stall on the Right) deny their culpability even when a court has found that they did, indeed, solicit sex. On one level, it's a sad commentary on our society that these men cannot openly admit their preferences and live their lives accordingly, and even more sad that they don't feel they can admit them after they've been caught and not suffer repercussions from the less open-minded among us (meaning, in this case, two-thirds of the population of Brevard County).

On the other hand, the gross hypocrisy of Allen and Craig and other Republicans, who decry the GLBT community and vote to restrict their rights with the same mouth they use to suck cock, makes them doubly deserving of the punishment they receive, as well as the derision of those whom they serve. To me, there is nothing more heinous than rank hypocrisy, and Blowin' Bob Allen is one of the greatest practitioners of the art.

So, good luck on appeal, Blowin' Bob. And good luck trying to get anywhere in your legislative career, as your own party rightfully abandons you, as a liar and a scoundrel. Sure seems like running for the Senate is out of the question now, doesn't it, Bob? Or are you still so willfully deluded that you think you still have a shot?

At least you can comfort yourself with the knowledge that, once again, this Blast Off! Daily Schadenfreude is for you.

For a good time, call ...

This is great.

From the office of U.S. Sen. Larry Craig:

"Watch found in the men's room on the 5th floor in the NW Corner of the Hart Building. It is not working, but if someone from your office lost it, please let me know.

Sometimes the comedy writes itself. But, then, you knew that already.

And now, the comedic stylings of Larry Craig!

If Larry Craig (R-3rd stall on the right) were any farther in the closet, he'd be an overcoat:

Throughout the NBC interview with Lauer, Craig maintained his innocence and said he was a victim of profiling when an undercover police officer arrested him on June 11 for lewd conduct in a Minneapolis-St. Paul airport men’s room.

Craig also had harsh words for the treatment from his Senate GOP colleagues — what he referred to as “gladiator politics.” Craig had the harshest words for Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who had tapped Craig as his congressional fundraising co-chairman. Romney condemned Craig’s behavior and dropped him from the presidential campaign within hours of Roll Call’s scoop about Craig’s arrest. Craig told Lauer that he was “very proud of my association with Mitt Romney.”

“I’d worked hard for him here in the state,” Craig said. “I was a co-chair of his campaign on Capitol Hill. And he not only threw me under his campaign bus, he backed up and ran over me again.”

Hmmm ... where have we heard that campaign bus line before? Oh, yeah:

Speaking of Romney, another source points out that Craig might be taking his talking points from a sworn enemy of his party: MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann.

In the NBC interview, Craig said that Romney “not only threw me under his campaign bus, he backed up and ran over me again.”

That’s not unlike what Olbermann said on his “Countdown” show Aug. 29: “Thrown under the bus by Mitt Romney, now Romney has backed up the bus to run [Craig] over again.”

Craig also told Matt Lauer yesterday that he doesn't use the Internet.

Really?

When Lauer asked Craig whether he knew about the Minneapolis airport bathroom’s reputation as a “hot spot” for gay trysts, Craig said: “Matt, you won’t believe this. But I don’t use the Internet. I don’t have a computer at my desk. I’ve never used the Internet. It’s just not what I do. I e-mail with my BlackBerry. No, I did not know that. I had no reason to know that.”

That’s interesting, in light of the following:

» In an op-ed he wrote this summer on the SCHIP health care program, Craig refers to doing a Google search on the term “mission creep.”

» He’s a member of the Congressional Internet Caucus.

» He co-sponsored a bill designating June 2007 as National Internet Safety Month.

» He was presented with the 2007 Internet Keep Safe Coalition Award.

» On his Web site, he lists as a top accomplishment a Silver Mouse Award given to his site in 2003 and 2006 by the Congressional Management Foundation in 2003 and 2006.

» When he endorsed Mitt Romney for president, he did so on YouTube.

Larry Craig is truly the scandal that keeps on giving.

The comedy writes itself

You may have missed this over the weekend -- I did.

Sen. Larry Craig (R-3rd stall on the right) was inducted into the Idaho Hall of Fame on Saturday.

Craig, who wore a dark blue suit and light blue tie, talked animatedly with family at his table, including his mother and sister. His wife, Suzanne, sat at another table with their children and other family members.

During his acceptance speech, Craig thanked his wife, who he referred to as a "marvelous blond lady."

Also during his speech before the 220-plus member audience, Craig acknowledged the intense news media scrutiny his nomination brought to the event.

"I hope in a very sincere way that the attention brought to me has not lessened the honor you are about to receive tonight," Craig told his fellow Hall of Fame inductees at the $50-a-plate event.

I can only imagine the jokes that went on in the men's room at the Boise Centre on The Grove, where Saturday's ceremony took place.

However, I've been unable to confirm that the entertainment during the ceremony included a tap dancer.

Undisclosed Location Blogging: update

My purpose for traveling here is going very well.

And I am alive. I guess that's as much as I should expect right now.

So, I haven't been online all day. What's this I hear about Larry Craig's guilty plea being upheld? Couldn't happen to a nicer toe-tapper guy.

More to come, including a possible Big Announcement ...

Another gay Republican scandal?

Mike Rogers, the investigative journalist from BlogActive who reported on the homosexuality of Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho), has another possible scoop, according to the Brad Blog.

"A United States Congressman who, while he was living in one place and claiming a tax break for that fact was registered and was voting in an entirely different state," he told us.

"The person owned the house with another man," Rogers teased, adding "the man that he owned it with, when you found out what he did, it almost makes this Congressman look like an angel."

While trying to determine if the crime we're looking at here is voter fraud or tax fraud (despite expensive GOP propaganda to the contrary, it's usually the Republicans, not the Dems, involved in voter fraud --- just ask Ann Coulter!), Rogers laughed, "It's voter fraud in one place and tax fraud in another!"

He offered us a few clues to the Congressman's identity, which he promises to reveal [Friday] morning. "This is not his first touch on voter fraud," he reported. "I'm not gonna say who...you may be able to guess...but there's a lot of voter fraud connected to this guy all over the place."

According to Brad Friedman, that congressman quite likely is Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.).

Rogers reported in May:

CBS News reported today that Michael Aaron Lay, an aide to (the unmarried) Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC), was arrested on voter fraud charges.

There is more to the story than you're reading in the CBS news item. LOTS MORE.

[...]

The funny thing about McHenry is this: I've received tons of tips from across the state, including one from an elected official who told me, "I can tell you Patrick McHenry is gay. I've known him long enough to know."

Now, I'm not saying he is gay, but he does seem to like engaging with Barney Frank. If you have not seen the video of their exchange, it's priceless.

And on Thursday, McHenry refers to Congresswoman Ellen Taucher as a man. It seems clear to me that Patrick has some serious gender identity issues.

Stay tuned. Mike promises a scoop on BlogActive this morning ...

Bill O'Reilly, liberal?

Not in a million years. But check out BillO's answers to Mike Wallace on 60 Minutes.

Here's a transcript of the 42-second-long video:

WALLACE: You're pro-gun control, right?

O'REILLY: Correct.

W: Against the death penalty?

O: Correct.

W: For civil unions for homosexuals?

O: For everybody. Not just homosexuals, for everybody.

W: For gay adoptions?

O: As a last resort. I'd rather have [a] nice, responsible, gay home than the system for kids. What else?

W: Any other things that might surp --

O: Environment! Environment! Government's got to be proactive on environment. Global warming is here. All these idiots who run around saying it isn't here, that's ridiculous.

I'm not an ideologue. I never have been an ideologue.

Why am I reminded of Larry Craig's quote: "I am not gay. I never have been gay"?

Craig's foibles have a basis in scholarship

Yes, Larry Craig's toe-tapping techniques were described in a book some four decades ago. But there also has been some scholarly research into the field:

Back in the 1960s, long before a U.S. senator got busted for allegedly lewd behavior in an airport bathroom, it was called “the tearoom trade.”

But social researchers knew almost nothing about it.

So Laud Humphreys, a young graduate student at Washington University in St. Louis, spent months hanging out in the public restrooms of St. Louis’ Forest Park.

He wanted to observe the tearoom trade in action: men who met for brief, anonymous homosexual trysts in public. He wanted to discover what compelled them.

Humphreys, who died in 1988, would have been transfixed by the senator’s case, his biographers say.

He discovered that the majority of men visiting “tearooms” were married and generally upstanding citizens who wanted a quick sexual release. Many did not think of themselves as gay or bisexual.

In his 1970 Ph.D. dissertation, “Tearoom Trade: Impersonal Sex in Personal Places,” Humphreys detailed the trade’s constant rituals: shoe-tapping and reaching under the stalls as a covert way to seek out willing partners.

“This is exactly what you find in the case of (U.S. Sen.) Larry Craig,” said John Galliher, sociology professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia and co-author of a Humphreys biography.

Humphreys noted how the men would use silent signals — call-and-response foot-tapping and finger-pointing — to seek out willing partners.

It was as if the Craig case had been plucked from Humphreys’ pages, said Wayne Brekhus, sociology professor and biography co-author.

Kind of blows the "wide stance" defense right out of the water, doesn't it?

So to speak ...

(h/t Eschaton commenter smarty jones)

Don't forget Larry Craig!

Excuse me for asking so impertinently, but why isn't it news that Larry Craig got his bathroom pick-up ideas from a book written nearly 40 years ago? I know I wrote about it on Friday, as did NTodd, but it shouldn't be overlooked.

I mean, I know there's a lot going on, but you'd think the Idaho Statesman or some paper in Minnesota might just be interested in pursuing this lead ...

Where Larry Craig got his ideas

You learn the most interesting things from other bloggers.

I was out last night at Hecate's den with racy mind, sittenpretty, and the inimitable Quaker motherfucker NTodd, and of course the conversation -- and flavored vodka (courtesy of sittenpretty) -- flowed in copious amounts.

So racy mind explains that the Larry Craig incident, with its bathroom stall, its foot-tapping, and its attempted note exchange (see, I think that's why Larry was "waving his hand" underneath the stall wall), sounded a lot like something she'd read some years ago. NTodd quotes the relevant passage in his post titled, as only he can, "Does This Cock In My Mouth Make Me Look Gay?"

RM remembered a book--Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Sex But Were Afraid to Ask by Dr. David Reuben--she read when she was a kid that had this valuable information:

The next common variety of homosexual behavior is oral intercourse. This is also known as fellatio, which means the same thing except in another language. In this variation, one man sucks the penis the other. Sometimes they then reverse roles, sometimes not.

Generally the circumstances are far from romantic. According to one homosexual, it goes something like this:

“Whenever I feel like sex, I drive down to the bowling alley. I walk into the men’s room, find an empty cubicle, go in, take down my pants, and sit on the toilet. Then I wait. It never takes very long.

Pretty soon another guy sits down in the next cubicle. I watch his feet. If he’s a gay guy, he’ll slide his foot over and kind of nudge mine. That means he’s ‘cruising.’ If I’m interested, I nudge back. Then we get started.

I always use a piece of toilet paper to write some kind of note—usually I just say ‘Do you suck?’ Sometimes if I have plenty of time I add something else like, ‘How big are you?’ I throw the paper on the floor, he picks it up, comes over into my cubicle, and sucks my penis. That’s how it ends — sometimes I suck his penis but usually I just go home.”

Um ... holy shit. Wow. Why has this not been widely disseminated yet?

People, despite his denials, Larry Craig didn't come up with this routine by himself. It's practically a custom if you want anonymous gay sex. And the problem, of course, is not that he's gay or engages in gay sex. The problem is that he insists he isn't gay, and that he simply has a "wide stance." Larry, a 40-year-old book begs to differ.

Leave it to the "liberal media" to be right on top of this story. So to speak.

Larry Craig's trump card?

Sen. Larry Craig (R-Third Stall on the Right) is considering withdrawing his resignation and fighting the charges to which he pleaded guilty in June last month.

And he might just be able to make a case, legally.

Turns out there's this little-known, nearly overlooked passage in this document called the United States Constitution ... Article I, Section 6 states in relevant part:

Section 6. The Senators and Representatives shall receive a compensation for their services, to be ascertained by law, and paid out of the treasury of the United States. They shall in all cases, except treason, felony and breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during their attendance at the session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any speech or debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other place.

So could it be that the arrest of Sen. Craig was, in fact, itself illegal? He was going to Washington for Senate business ... but what about the "breach of the peace language?" Does disorderly conduct qualify?

And, irony heaped upon irony, might Sen. Craig be able to sidestep (pun intended) his guilty plea by relying on a document his party and its leader, Drunky McStagger, have been using for six and a half years as ... um ... toilet paper?

Remember, Constitution Day is right around the corner ...

(h/t Unrepentant Fenian)

Today's Daily Schadenfreude: Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho)

Stick a fork in Larry Craig. He's done.

Courtesy of the Idaho Statesman, the Boise paper that Sen. Craig blames for his inability to resist picking up men in airport restrooms:

A restroom-sex scandal will drive Sen. Larry Craig from office today, bringing an anguished end to the Idaho Republican's 27-year career in Congress.

Craig's office said late Friday that he would reveal his plans at 10:30 a.m. [12:30 p.m. EDT] at the Boise Depot. Republican officials told the Idaho Statesman and The Associated Press that Craig will resign. The Associated Press reported that Craig's resignation will be effective Sept. 30.

Gov. Butch Otter will name a Republican to complete Craig's term, which ends in January 2009. The contest for a full six-year term will be held in 2008.

It's the end of an era in Idaho ... and hopefully that means an era of appalling hypocrisy:

The loud consensus among political analysts was that Craig had become a dead weight on GOP hopes for retaining the White House and reclaiming Congress in 2008.

In Idaho, however, his imprint was historic. Only one other Idahoan, Republican Sen. William Borah, for whom the state's highest peak is named, represented Idaho longer.

[...]

[Craig] also was a reliable foe of gay rights, opposing gays in the military, extension of civil rights protections in the workplace and campaigning for the 2006 amendment to the Idaho Constitution that bans both gay marriage and civil unions.

[...]

But in recent months, for the first time in his 33 years in office, Larry Craig revealed a conflicted mind. He said he wasn't sure he could stomach a ninth campaign for national office.

"I'll tell you right now the politics of our world has changed," Craig told the Statesman on May 14, during an interview in which he denied any homosexual conduct, ever.

"It's all about self-destruction and destroying the individual based on his or her presence politically than it is about issues," Craig said, blaming Democrats and Republicans alike. "This personality thing has become very, very vicious."

For the record (and to paraphrase Sen. Craig's own very public statement this week), this issue is not about him being gay, and it never has been about him being gay (or not, for that matter). It's about the hypocrisy of living a certain lifestyle while publicly and vocally opposing rights and privileges for others who live that same lifestyle. No one (save for the batshit crazy lunatic fringe on the Right) would be pushing for Craig's ouster if he had just come out and admitted he was gay (or bi, or whatever). Of course, the lunatic fringe on the Right is what put Craig in Congress in the first place ... so maybe it indeed would have been political suicide for him to come out. But at least he wouldn't be a hypocrite. So much for integrity.

So long, Larry. Don't let the stall door hit you in the ass on the way out. And congratulations, soon-to-be-ex-Sen. Craig, for today's Blast Off! Daily Schadenfreude is for you!

Another Larry Craig endorsement

You know, I think Sen. Craig is actually going to come out ahead after this whole mess blows over. Seriously, his hardship could turn out to be a tremendous asset. And his latest coup is a natural fit.

I shared one endorsement deal with you yesterday, and now he's got another one:

click for larger version ... you'll miss the really good snark if you don't

Yes, it's Requip™ -- the Restless Leg Syndrome medication with the, um, interesting side effects. Don't miss the "Important Safety Information" ...

The Three Stooges, GOP style

(L-R) Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.), Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho), former Attorney General John Ashcroft (R-Mo.)

Now, that's what I call an "O" face ...

(h/t Free Williamsburg)

Today's Daily Schadenfreude: Jim Naugle

There are a few things in life that make me truly happy. Spending time with my kids, for instance. Buccaneer victories. A great cigar. And, of course, seeing a batshit crazy homophobic fundie moron like Jim Naugle get some comeuppance for being an asshole.

You remember Naugle, the mayor of Fort Lauderdale, whose anti-gay statements have made him a laughingstock among all rational people (which excludes, of course, the thirty-percenters who stubbornly believe that Drunky McStagger is the Bestest Preznit Ever!!1! and that the Earth is 6,000 years old).

Yesterday, the Broward County Tourism Development Council kicked Naugle in the nuts off their board:

He was to represent Fort Lauderdale on the Tourism Development Council until next spring, but now the city will have to choose someone else for county commissioners to appoint. The tourism board controls marketing of the county to tourists and conventions and includes the general managers of major hotels, Swap Shop owner Preston Henn and restaurateur Jack Jackson.

"I had hoped that this would die on its own, but Mayor Naugle continues to push his own agenda and that is having an increasing impact on our community," said County Commissioner Stacy Ritter, who proposed removing him. "He has continued to escalate his rhetoric, and we cannot be silent."

Naturally, Naugle, who nominally is a Democrat but of course we all know better, is standing firm ... keeping a stiff ... holding his own ... resolute in the face of opposition:

Naugle was unbowed by the county's rebuke and said commissioners removed him because they "feared a very vocal minority." He questioned why no commissioner had talked to him beforehand to hear why he has done what he's done.

"Sometimes the easiest thing to do when you don't want to hear something is to shoot the messenger, but that doesn't mean that there is not a problem out there that needs to be addressed," Naugle said.

The only problem that needs to be addressed, Mr. Mayor, is that you are a blight on the public perception of south Florida. Yes, it is your right as an American* to have opinions and even to voice them. But you shouldn't be surprised when the hate speech that you spew forth causes people to, you know, not like you, and even makes them not want to be around you.

In short, Mayor Naugle, if you want to advocate discrimination and hate, go do it on your own time and in your own name. Don't sully Broward County and south Florida with your bilious, self-righteous, uninformed bigotry. Oh, and by the way, in light of the Larry Craig and Bob Allen scandals and your unnatural, prurient obsession with gay sex and bathrooms, Mr. Mayor, you might want to be a little careful when you step into a stall from now on, you know what I mean? I wouldn't want to see any repressed urges ruin your good name ... just sayin' ...

So, congratulations once again, Jim Naugle, for getting kicked off the Tourism Board -- for the third time, today's Blast Off! Daily Schadenfreude is for you!

---

* As of this writing, at least.

Larry Craig's new gig

click image for fully uncivil version

(Yeah, I know, MS Paint sucks ... you snark with the program you have, not the program you wish you had.)

Hey, Idaho ... Florida knows what you're going through

Looks like I picked a shitty night to be away from the internets (and at rehearsal), eh? (Thanks for the tip, racymind ...)

So Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) was caught in a bathroom in a compromising position? Shoot, Blowin' Bob Allen, Florida's own little devil, can commiserate.

Are there similarities? Jeebus, the situations are practically twins. Check it out:

Alleged sexual advances on an undercover officer? Check.

Blowin' Bob is accused of offering $20 to a cop for the privilege of blowing him, while Sen. Craig pleaded guilty -- let me say that again: pleaded guilty -- to misdemeanor disorderly conduct after he purportedly gave a signal to a cop in the adjacent stall that the cop interpreted as an invitation to "lewd behavior."

Republican? Check.

How long before Republican Repressed Sexual Syndrome (RRSS) gets into the DSM-IV?

Pro-"family values" and anti-gay? Check.

Blowin' Bob sponsored bills in the Florida Legislature regarding "sexual solicitation and abuse" and "lewd or lascivious exhibition." He also was a volunteer for the Boys & Girls Club and a local Little League. Meanwhile, Sen. Craig has a record of socially conservatism as long as ... well, let's just say as long as your arm:

In recent years, Craig's voting record has earned him top ratings from social conservative groups such as the American Family Association, Concerned Women for America and the Family Research Council.

He has supported a federal constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, telling his colleagues that it was "important for us to stand up now and protect traditional marriage, which is under attack by a few unelected judges and litigious activists."

In 1996, Craig also voted in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act, which denies federal recognition to same-sex marriages and prevents states from being forced to recognize the marriages of gay and lesbian couples legally performed in other states.

Craig has also opposed expanding the federal hate crimes law to cover offenses motivated by anti-gay bias and, in 1996, voted against a bill that would have outlawed employment discrimination based on sexual orientation, which failed by a single vote in the Senate.

Chair of campaign for GOP presidential candidate? Check.

Blowin' Bob was a state chair for John McCain, while Sen. Craig immediately resigned today from Mitt Romney's campaign. (As an aside, can Mitt's campaign get any more dysfunctional?)

Five years from now, I predict that Blowin' Bob and former Sen. Craig will be on a Fox reality show, living in the same house and trying to get along with each other. Maybe former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) and Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) could be on it, too.

They could call it Real World: Congress. Or maybe House of the Rising Wang.

UPDATE (12:07 am 8/28/07): Forgot one:

Blatant, utterly appalling hypocrisy? Check.

UPDATE (5:54 pm 8/28/07): Apparently, Larry Craig used to write for The Onion.