Senator Larry Craig to Resign Today

Under enormous pressure from state voters and top Republicans at the national level, sources close to Idaho Republican Senator Larry Craig indicated that the Senator intends to resign from his Senate seat on Saturday.

Craig had pleaded guilty to a lesser misdemeanor charge when he was arrested in June in a police sex sting operation at an airport men's room. The particular men's room in question had been known to be a gathering place for homosexual men who were looking for sexual encounters.

With the 2008 election cycle drawing near, Republicans could ill afford a major scandal, particularly when it involves what many of Party's voting base consider to be a hot-button item.

Among the Party's national leadership and the grassroots rank-and-file back home, the overwhelming consensus was that Craig resign.

Immediately after news broke on Thursday that Craig's days in the Senate may be numbered, speculation ensued concerning who would be his replacement in the U.S. Senate. Quickly the name of Ryan Horsley, owner and manager of Red's Trading Post--the oldest gun store in Idaho--surfaced as a strong contender.

The U.S. Constitution mandates that in the case of a vacated Senate seat, the Governor of the state in question appoints a person to fill out the term of the person who vacated the seat.

Idaho Governor Butch Otter has several potential choices--U.S. Representative Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, Lieutenant Governor James Risch. and Ryan Horsley, among others.

If Otter chooses Simpson, the vacated House seat would be filled by a special election ordered by the Governor, according to the U.S. Constitution. Ryan Horsley has indicated interest in the House seat, but he would need to put together a campaign and win the majority of the votes in his district.

This should not be hard to do given Horsley's name-recognition and popularity within that House district.

However, Fox News is reporting that Governor Otter is leaning toward appointing Lieutenant Governor Risch to the Senate seat. In the past Risch had indicated he would be interested in running for the U.S. Senate should Craig decide to retire.

The Governor's office, however, is insisting that Otter has not come to any firm decision concerning Craig's seat and that no promises have been made to anyone. One source close to the Governor stated that all options are still on the table, and furthermore, it is inappropriate to discuss replacements before Craig has resigned.

Politics is a meticulous cat-and-mouse game with various nuances that color and influence choices. In the case of Senator Craig, while it is lamentable that hypocrisy seems to be so central to his political career, in many ways it is even more lamentable that the private lives of our elected representatives seem to be more important than their stance on the issues.

Larry Craig has been one of the most reliable and solid advocates for Second Amendment rights in America today. For that we can be very grateful.