Moral Relativists

by emptywheel

When David Vitter admitted to using a prostitute service, no Republicans asked him to resign.

When it became clear that Pete Domenici had asked Bush and Gonzales to fire David Iglesias because the US Attorney didn't trump up charges against Democrats, no Republicans asked him to resign.

When it became clear that Bob Ney and Ted Stevens and John Doolittle and Don Young had received some mighty curious gifts, no Republicans asked them to resign.

When Tom DeLay was indicted for money laundering, no Republicans asked him to resign.

But because Larry Craig wiggled his foot under a men's bathroom stall, Pete Hoekstra and Norm Coleman and John McCain have asked him to resign.

Update: Language on Ney, Stevens, Doolittle, and Young changed to protect the principle of innocent until proven guilty, per Steve's comment.

Comments

[global yokel]

When Colin Powell, George Bush, Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, or Donald Rumsfeld got caught lying about non-existent WMD's nobody asked them to resign.

[Redshift]

I think it's pretty well established by now that "restoring honor and dignity" means "avoiding criminal convictions."

[Neil]

my point . exactly

[Mutant Poodle]

Apparently, Craig is no longer useful to the GOP in ways that the others were or are.

Plus, his replacement will be a Republican...not so with Vitter.

[bmaz]

I am shocked, shocked to hear of such disingenuousness in the GOP. Shall we round up the usual suspects? So ordered! (i.e. Clinton, other Clinton, Clinton's penis, Pelosi, librul DFH bloggers, terrists, the French, etc.) - Captain Renault.

[marksb]

Craig's mistake was pleading. If he'd denied the deed we'd be hearing about the Democratic witch hunt, police entrapment, and "why can't a guy tap his foot when taking a dump, maybe he's got restless legs syndrome; what's wrong with you frenetic people anyway, ya' got a dirty mind or something?"

[casual observer]

Well, this is true. But none of those other guys were found guilty of being gay in a US Port of Entry. It's a National Security thing.

[casual observer]

I'm sorry, I meant NOT being gay in a port of entry. NOT. He's NOT.

[emptywheel]

marksb

True--which may be why he backtracked. But Domenici did, at least, admit to calling Iglesias. And he has all but admitted to asking Gonzales (though not Bush and Rove) to fire Iglesias.

[emptywheel]

casual

NOT. And NEVER WAS.

[BlueStateRedhead]

Apparently putting one's foot in the stall is far more shocking than pulling out and showing the arresting officers one's.... senatorial business card...is not worthy of mention. Why are we not surprised?

[JohnJ]

Where is J.E.Hoover when we need him? HE could tell us how dangerous gays in government are! The amazing thing is that everyone he didn't like was suspected of being gay (RFK, JFK, M.L.King, etc.).
Why is it he took vacations with his assistant and was NEVER seen with a woman?
This s#$% goes back a long way.

[looseheadprop]

Soory for the OT, but I was WAYYYY late to the party downstairs. I left a longish comment.

Shorter LHP-- My current guess is Mukasey.

[BlueStateRedhead]

Oh oh. Pot is calling the kettle black.

It's only fair to note that CREW did not mention his waving his card to the arresting officer and what that implies ethically and legally in their complaint.
http://www.citizensforethics.org/node/29979

[Citizen92]

One out of eight isn't all that bad. It's better than none, that is.

[John Forde]

Politicians need to take a stance.

Vitter, Ney, Domineci, Stevens, Young & DeLay didn't take much of a stance.

Craig did.

Don't be making fun of 'Wide Stance'.

[Mary]

This is pretty funny. One guy gets so into this that he makes the other anchor act out the police report with him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHNRpsSrcO4

[Former Fed]

It is so indicative of the Repugs to say it is OK for male senators to have sex with female prostitutes, but then get their underwear in a tangle when a male senator apparently has sex with a guy.

What a hypocritical bunch!

[Steve]

Hold on a bit. One of the good qualities of this blog is that most of the statements are properly qualified. But you didn't qualify the bribes here. I can't speak to the other cases, but while there is a lot of evidence being collected on Ted Stevens, at this point there aren't any clear quid pro quos. Alaska has a tiny population (about 670,000) and anyone who wants to meet any politician face to face can. Stevens has been our US Senator pushing 40 years. He knows LOTS of people here. In a state with such a small population, he can't help but know many of the beneficiaries of his actions. I have no doubt that Stevens feels that he's been doing what needs to be done to get his constituents what they need. We are geographically huge, with many towns and villages off the road system, and a significant number of villages without running water and sewers. I'm sure he believes that he couldn't adequately serve his constituents without making a few compromises and that the media have the luxury of being able to criticize without the responsibility to actually do anything. Did you listen to the tape [scroll down a bit to play the audio] of him telling the Anchorage Daily News editorial board sayonara? That said, when the dust settles, I suspect that something will come out the investigations, particularly the fishing issues with his son Ben, and with the earmark to buy the property in Seward of one of his former staffers. The FBI, according to a few people they've interviewed, are pretty confident they've got him nailed. But at this point, "alleged bribes" is the more accurate phrase. And there's no guarantee we won't reelect him, even if he's found guilty. But we're going to try to send a new face.

Probably 'bribe' should be qualified for Don Young too, though he gets less slack because the Coconut Road details are out in the open and he can't use our small population as an excuse for earmarks in Florida.

And I think the list of when they do or don't call for resignation is not all that inconsistent. I suspect many of the politicians are thinking it could be them on the line in most of those situations. Except most of them probably haven't played footsies in the men's room.

[oldtree]

It isn't new, this is the norm. politicians are proving they have no concern about law breaking or diddling a hooker in diapers, or one of their reps taking care of the male pages that were "out to get them", they don't care that thousands die, every day. don't care that it is only crooks that they "hang out" with. but one taps a cops toe and admits to a crime, look at the bandini meet the ventilator. note there isn't a word from the democratic 'tics about it. is it because they can't think of anything to add? are they trying to show that this doesn't really matter except to the others? are they simply thrilled that it wasn't one of their own?
the values they share don't matter, they don't have any and they don't share. they blow with the wind, they are 'tics. this is fun watching people fellate one another as they condemn another fellow fellator.

[radiofreewill]

This is one of the great 'ills' of living by an ideology of 'us versus them' and gaining the executive power of the people.

Morality becomes two-faced:

For 'Us' - IOKIYAR - it's ok if you're a Republican

For 'Them' - any transgression by the Dems is 'proof' of absolute evil

The Republicans got where they are, from '94 on, by re-patriating (no offense, EW) all possible loyal party members into positions where they could exercise their influence to support the Party-Over-Country (We know what's best for you) Agenda of the Neocons.

Bush and Cheney have been more than willing to rescue 'ne'er do wells' who will flatback for the Money-Power-Position Sweepstakes Agenda, and they - in a sordid twist - actually consider it a 'plus' to know that a Congressperson is 'compromised.' It makes for good voting blocks! Rove and Mehlman, and the staffs, seem to have kept the equivalent of 'Bormann's Rolodex' on their Blackberries as part of their Political Affairs work.

Ideological movements rot from the inside.

Our challenge as a Country is to restore balance and freedom of operation, within the bounds of our Civil Rights, to the Rule of Law, and re-empower our Constitution - that's primary, imvho. Let's save the Republic with as little collateral damage as possible.

Secondarily, this whole BushCo nightmare has pushed us in a direction that is not healthy for US as a Country or as global citizens. We need to put-up clear-bright-line laws that make sure we never, ever come anywhere near to this kind of catastrophe again. My fear is that the next Republican Administration will pick-up right where they left off - with a lot of the same characters being stage-managed to adore and idolize whoever is the Next Frontdaddy for the Agenda - and come back with even more devious plans than BushCo ever had.

Partisanship that would subvert the Rule of Law is the enemy of US all.

And therein lies our challenge in the long run: To be worthy of entrusting with the mechanisms of our beautiful system of government, so that we can ALL get through times good and bad together.

[rxbusa]

Ha! With all these demands that he resigns, I think someone on the D side of the aisle should say "We don't care if you are gay, just that you are a hypocrite. If you want to come out of the closet and switch parties, we'd be okay with that." I probably wouldn't agree with him about anything, but it is all just too silly.

[barbara]

Did someone say "this is the norm"? Why, that must be about Minnesota's very own Norm "shape-shifter" Coleman.

Given that Larry the Foot did his gig in a Minnesota john (pun), it is incumbent (pun) on Norm to come to the aid of, ummm, Norm, albeit several months after the fact.

And get this. An LTE in this morning's Minneapolis paper suggested that Norm would be a sterling successor to Alberto Gonzales.

Oh, lordy, there I go rolling on the floor, laughing again. 'Scuse me. Gotta go.

[marksb]

oh, I get it. Domineci asks Gonzo (direct) to fire a USA, who serves "at the pleasure of the president", but we don't need to bother the president with these little details, do we. That makes as much sense as any of this stuff. I'm soooo glad we've got such effective professional political and governmental leadership.
This whole thing--war, pending war, USA political firing, domestic warrantless spying, bathroom-in-the-closet sex, just everything--is beyond the wildest fiction any of our craziest writers could dream up. It's like we are sliding into Stoppard-level absurdity and Orwell-level totalitarianism at the same time. It's a floor wax! It's a desert topping! Sheesh.

[Neil]

"Thank God for Larry Craig." - Sen. David Vitter