that he dealt with police & prosecutors, without benefit of legal counsel, was incredibly stupid. for that reason alone he should resign, the man obviously lacks judgement.

is he gay? i haven't the slightest idea. it would seem he's kind of admitted to being so, but that isn't at all clear either, since he's also denied it vehemently.

Wow. I'd expect that comment from a Republican....

This is not leaking the name of a CIA agent, nor phonying up the cause to war, illegal wiretapping, voter caging, voting against gay rights, corruption etc. Whatever you feel about discreet sex in a public bathroom. This is a minor thing.

I think that Craig was doing a terrible thing. He was soliciting for anonymous sex with a trick in a toilet which would be, among other things, cheating on his wife. I'd be angry if my partner did that, I can't see why it isn't thought of as terrible. Do he and his wife have an open relationship (how 70s if they do)?  Discreet, married = liar.

Now, that doesn't mean not to have compassion for Craig. I know lots of guys who came out late and they hurt lots of people too. But they didn't make political capital out of gay bashing. They did their best to mend fences and acknowledge who they are.

As for the general sense of surprise that this sort of policing goes on, I'm baffled. Homophobia is alive and well, even as things are much better now than pre-Stonewall or Bowers vs Hardwick. But that issue aside, it's never been true that a public bathroom in a busy airport is congenial to a quick, risk-free tryst. Tearoom trade has always been taboo, and that's one of its primary thrills.

AND HE'S RIGHT!

Seriously, the various gay commenters I've seen on this all pretty much say that there is no reason to give anyone a pass if they engage in sex in a public restroom.

Incidentally, it's not gay sex or soliciting gay sex in public restrooms that I find creepy, but ANY sex, gay or straight, in such places. The orientation is not the point--the public sex in a very inappropriate public place is. It's generally unpleasant enough as it is to use most public rest rooms--especially in such crowded places as airports--that one doesn't need yet another reason.

Just recently, while dropping someone off at the airport, I saw a young straight couple enter a rest room together and lock the door behind them, almost certainly in order to have a "quickie" (or, perhaps, to use drugs or who knows what). This was a so-called "family changing room", obviously to allow parents to change their babies' diapers and such in private, and was not meant for non-parents or people without babies in their charge to abuse for their own "needs".

Forced resignations are not that common and most of the ones I remember were cabinet members or political staff members not elected officials. The Craig incident has turned out to be a political avalanche and the candidates are being asked about it and evidently Richardson was not prepared.

When Richardson was in Iowa City I attended one of his "job interviews" and he was asked a lot of very good questions and he gave answers that sounded good to most unless it was on something he was not prepared to answer. Then he stumbled.