Sen. Larry Craig Denied Opportunity To Withdraw Plea

Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) hasn't quite realized that he set in motion a mess of his own making. Attempting to get the judge to agree to accept his withdrawal of the guilty plea was a long shot, and there is little recourse for Craig at this point.

If anything, if Craig prolongs his exit, it will make the GOP chances to keep that seat all but impossible.

Idaho Sen. Larry Craig lost a court bid to withdraw his guilty plea stemming from an airport men's room sex sting, and his state's governor swiftly announced he had chosen a replacement in the event of a resignation.

Craig had no immediate public response to the ruling by Hennepin County Judge Charles Porter in Minnesota.

But a pre-emptive announcement from Idaho, Gov. C.L. Butch Otter seemed an unmistakeable signal that home-state Republicans want Craig to surrender the seat he has held for 17 years.

"He is ready to act should we receive a letter of resignation," said Jon Hanian, Otter's spokesman in Boise. "As of this hour, we still have not received one. I do not believe the replacement candidate has been notified because until we receive a letter of resignation we do not have a vacancy to fill."

Craig entered a plea of guilty for a disorderly conduct. The judge noted that Craig did so as it "...was accurate, voluntary and intelligent, and because the conviction is supported by the evidence..."

I'd further note that this particular article gets around to mentioning Craig's political affiliation directly in the fifth paragraph, and alludes to it in the third. Not bad, but it could have been better.