Outing Arianna’s Argument
September 5th, 2007Arianna Huffington writes: In the Age of Terror, Isn’t Busting Toe-Tappers an Insane Use of Our Law Enforcement Resources?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not wild about walking into a public restroom and seeing a couple using the a stall for something other than, as Sgt. Dave Karsnia, the arresting officer in the Craig case put it, “its intended use.” But that is not what Larry Craig did. If he had, someone in the restroom could have done what most people do when they see a law being broken: go get a cop. And as it happens, since Craig was arrested in an airport, presumably there were plenty of law enforcement officers nearby looking for, you know, real threats — like explosives or folks on a Watch List. Assuming, that is, they weren’t all hunkered down in other bathrooms across the airport, protecting the public against people who might be thinking about having sex.
Let me be clear: I’m no fan of Larry Craig. Indeed, I disagree with almost everything he stands for. And I’d much rather he not be in the United States Senate. But I’d also rather have had his exit be the result of his constituents voting on his ideas and policies, instead of a ridiculous sting operation in an airport bathroom.
You sure you don’t feel like that because your ex-husband was a closet Republican, Arianna? Remember that? And you didn’t care because he would let you run his campaign for the Senate on his behalf and he allowed you to debate his opponent for him, amIright? I think you’re projecting sweetheart. Let’s call it Freudian, eh? (Her criticism is weak, also, because there were definitely plenty of policemen to go around. The airport didn’t go unprotected because someone was in the bathroom waiting for someone looking for unprotected sex inside of a stall.)