Ethics panel chastises Larry Craig. In a rare public chastisement, letter from the 3 Republicans and 3 Democrats cites senator’s ‘improper conduct’ and attempt to ‘evade legal consequences‘ Idaho Statesman. By Erica Bolstad.
The truth is that his personal conduct, attempted coverup, his false resignation, and his resulting lack of influence in the Senate was remarkably good luck for Idaho and America’s outdoors. He was a one-man environmental wrecking crew.
Print Friendly
Ralph Maughan
Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University with specialties in natural resource politics, public opinion, interest groups, political parties, voting and elections. Aside from academic publications, he is author or co-author of three hiking/backpacking guides, and he is past President of the Western Watersheds Project.
There is a lesson for activists here. People like this never lead a clean personal life while they do dirty politics. It is a lifestyle, a way of viewing the world. Find an ecological pirate in Congress and you will more often than not find they have some private life issues as well. You need to have more than 1 tool in the tool box to deal with these folks.
I went to an open house meeting in Meridian, Idaho, last spring, to listen to Larry Craig. He shook my hand as I left. Now I keep getting this urge to wash my hand everytime I hear or read about him.
So much of the livestock industry abuse of public lands and its hatred of wildlife has been fostered over the past 20 or more years by horrible Larry Craig actions behind the scenes . BLM Owyhee Manager trying to make a rancher get his cows out of the stream? In steps Larry Craig (or Mike Crapo trying to emulate Larry) to get that Mgr. shipped away.
All the insane anti-science Woolgrower control of Idaho Fish and Game via Otter can be traced back to Larry Craig’s unrelenting and vicious efforts to keep any public lands grazer, no matter how egregious their abuse of public lands and wildilife – from ever facing any consequences.
In fact, last winter-early spring, before the first of the Hells Canyon lawsuit decisions, Craig was working big-time behind the scenes (again with Crapo tagging along a few steps behind) to try to bulldoze the nasty bureaucrats out of the way and let Shirts and Carlson Woolgrowers do what the always had done – run domestic sheep right on top of bighorns.
I wished he would do us all a favor and disappear forever, he has disgraced Idaho enough already.