It’s a news story that, in Idaho, has become a legend. A conservative senator arrested for soliciting sex with another man in an airport bathroom. In video from C-SPAN from 2007 Idaho Senator Larry Craig apologizes just after the story broke. “While I was not involved in any inappropriate conduct at the Minneapolis airport or anywhere else, I chose to plead guilty to a lesser charge in hopes of making it go away,” he said. “That was a mistake and I deeply regret it.” Craig’s arrest is the inspiration for a new play that opened at Boise Contemporary Theater Wednesday. But Dwayne Blackaller, who directs Off the Record, says it’s not the story of what happened to Larry Craig/Adam Cottrell, Boise State Public Radio. More here. (Photo of “Off the Record” banner from Boise State Public Radio)

Question: Would you be interested in seeing “Off The Record”?

Really. The Sunlight Foundation's revamped “Capitol Words” rivals other online time-wasters. There's an Idaho page where you learn that the top five words spoken by Idaho members of Congress since 1996 are: Idahoans, Idaho's, Idaho, Boise and id. (Id? Is Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson, a notoriously voracious reader, channeling Freud from the well of the House? Oh, ID, as in the postal abbreviation for Idaho!) “Nuclear,” “agriculture” and “timber” are six, seven and eight, and “mountain” comes in No. 19. Also, you can search by legislator's name, and learn fun facts, including that “potato” is Simpson's 14th favorite word, ahead of No. 20 “dental,” a mouthful for a former dentist. Speaking of “potato,” Simpson ranks No. 3 in use of the word, trailed immediately by former Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. More here.

Question: Which word do you think you say most?

Item: Idaho man charged with attempted assassination/AP

Dennis Mansfield: Just as time was on Idaho's side regarding Nazis moving away, multiple marriages stopping and toe-tapping going silent in airport men's rooms, an apparently mentally ill guy from Idaho is arrested, The Blaze reports - for the firing of rounds at the White House. It's not just Idaho…it's Idaho Falls, Idaho … just so we get tagged doubly. More here.

Question: Will Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez join toe-tapping Larry Craig and the nearly departed Nazis as another kooky face of Idaho?

Charlie Sheen has been on a lot of talk shows lately and, quite frankly, he’s been painful to watch. Yeah, the poor guy appears to be off the crack and back in control. Aw, Charlie, say it ain’t so. I know. That sounds harsh. It’s fashionable to act horrified when famous people veer off the rails or – in Sheen’s case – blow like an aerosol can of bug spray left too close to a campfire. I’m talking about …

• Lindsay Lohan handcuffed and hoosegow-bound.
• Britney Spears shaving her head into a cue ball.
• Anthony Weiner mass-texting his, um, sausage photos.
• Larry Craig tap-tapping for man love in an airport toilet stall.

“Outrageous,” we huff. “Disgusting!” we puff. Aw, come off it. Be honest. You revel in these celebrity psycho soap operas as much as I do. But I’m here to tell you that it’s not wrong to feel this way/Doug Clark, SR. More here.

Question: Do you enjoy seeing celebrities and politicians crash and burn, deep down?

In his Boise Weekly column, Ted Rall lambastes the Puritanism of our culture — he considers it a curse second only to racism — that resulted in the resignation of Congressman Anthony Weiner. Writes Rall: “It is well past time we Americans grew up. No one should be pressured to resign because of sex. Even when they're a hypocrite.” Then, Rall claims America missed a teachable moment during the low-level scandal involving former U.S. Sen. Larry Craig. Again, Rall: “Rather than ridicule the man, we ought to have defended him as a victim of an unjust law. In the 21st century, why should anyone go to jail for soliciting consensual sex?” You can read Ted Rall's full column here. (AP file photo)

Question: Should elected representatives like Weiner and Craig be shamed and even forced out of office when they become entangled in odd sexual behavior? Or should the country merely shrug?

• Monday Poll: Hucks Nation agreed with the Coeur d'Alene School Board's unanimous appointment of former chairwoman Wanda Quinn to fill the spot of resigning Chairwoman Edie Brooks. Quinn received 51 of 103 votes (49.51%) from Hucks Nation, followed by Christa Hazel with 35 of 103 (33.98%). Conservative Jim Purtee got 13 votes (12.62%) while Tony Norris & Carole Springer tied w/2 votes (1.94%) each.
• Twitter Scandal: 84 of 147 respondents (57.14%) put U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner's Twitter scandal in the same league as former U.S. Sen. Larry Craig's toe-tapping scandal. 43 of 147 respondents (29.25%) consider Craig's scandal worse. 19 of 147 (12.93%) consider Weiner's scandal worse. 1 respondent was undecided.
• Better/Worse Off: 33 of 94 (35.11%) say they expect to be worse off by the time the 2012 presidential election is held. The same number expect to be doing about the same. 28 of 94 (29.79%) expect to be better off in November 2012.
• Today's Question: Do a married person's online flirtations — including explicit ones — count as infidelity?

A new Idaho play is based on former Sen. Larry Craig’s 2007 arrest in an airport bathroom sex sting. The Idaho Statesman reports the 90-minute drama was part of the Boise Contemporary Theater’s new works reading series Monday. The play, “Off the Record,” is about an airport police officer who detains a U.S. senator after a toe-tapping incident in a public restroom. Lynn Allison’s play takes a fictional turn as the officer and the senator engage in a conversation about American attitudes on homosexuality/Associated Press. More here.

Question: Would you be interested in seeing this play?

Former Idaho U.S. Sen. Larry Craig is working for a sportsmen's group that wants Congress to lift Endangered Species Act protections from wolves on grounds the prolific predators are hurting big game populations that are coveted by hunters in the region. Craig represents Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife and was in Idaho's Capitol Monday, touting wolf delisting bills now in the U.S. House and Senate. Lawmakers, including Idaho U.S. Sen. Jim Risch, Craig's successor in Washington, D.C., seek to bypass the Endangered Species Act and lift 36-year-old protections for today's booming U.S. wolf population. Advocates who accompanied Craig say they have about 50 co-sponsors for federal legislation, including lawmakers from outside Rocky Mountain states, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan where most of the nation's wolves roam/John Miller, AP. More here. (AP file photo)

Question: Is Larry Craig the right person to lobby against Endangered Species Act protection for wolves?

JEERS … to former U.S. Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho. If the disgraced Republican wants to hide in a bunker, fine. But don’t expect the thousands of Idahoans whose trust he betrayed three years ago to elevate him to elder statesman status. Not when he refuses to level with them. Case in point: Craig’s three-hour appearance on a Boise talk radio program Monday. Craig and Idaho Freedom Foundation Executive Director Wayne Hoffman were filling in for KBOI’s conservative host Nate Shelman. Hoffman is a former Idaho Statesman political reporter who also served as former Congressman Bill Sali’s press secretary. Wouldn’t you think at some point they’d get around to discussing how Craig got arrested in a gay sex sting operation at the Minneapolis airport?/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. More here.

Question: If other politicians, past and former, can rehabilitate their images, why can’t Larry Craig? Will he ever be able to do so?

Reminder: Idaho Freedom Foundation transparency workshop begins at 6 at CdA Library

Nick Adams: Wayne Hoffman spent three hours on the air with former Senator Larry “wide stance” Craig earlier this week and didn’t allow one question about why Craig is now a former Senator. Also, not one comment on two of the biggest breaking news stories of the day: 1) The 9th Circuit Court’s ruling on gay marriage in CA and 2) the Idaho Lt. Col.’s case against the military for “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.” Hoffman would give Dr. Harold Hill a run for his money. Transparency, indeed.

Question: Should Larry Craig be allowed to limit the kinds of questions he can be asked in public forums here in Idaho?

Former Idaho GOP Sen. Larry Craig began his radio talk-show gig Monday saying it’s “very possible” that Republicans will win the U.S. House in November and put the odds at even for winning the Senate. “If you have a Republican House you stop Barack Obama and these liberal policies in their tracks,” Craig said during the first hour of a 3-hour guest-hosting appearance on KBOI-670. As for the Senate, Craig predicted GOP pickups in Colorado, Delaware, Florida and Indiana, but said, “It’s gonna be a push to take the Senate back over.”Craig, 65, said the upcoming election is among the most important in his lifetime/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. More here. (AP/Lewiston Tribune file photo: Barry Kough; I couldn’t resist pulling out this fun miscue from the 2008 race)

Question: What do you make of Larry Craig’s prediction re: control of Congress after the 2010 elections?

Former Idaho GOP Sen. Larry Craig will be on KBOI-670 from 4 p.m. to 7 Monday, filling in for conservative host Nate Shelman. Craig will be joined by Wayne Hoffman, executive director of the Idaho Freedom Foundation, and formerly an Statesman political reporter and spokesman for former U.S. Rep. Bill Sali, R-Idaho. Shelman, who will be vacationing, said Craig will field phone calls and focus on politics, elections and the economy. Shelman said he doesn’t expect Craig to take questions about his 2007 conviction for misdemeanor disorderly conduct in connection with a sex sting in a men’s room at the Minneapolis airport/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. More here.

Question: What question would you ask Larry Craig, if his airport bathroom escapade was off limits?

• Infamous Idahoans: Believe it or not, former Idaho U.S. senator Larry Craig was deemed more notorious than late Aryan Nations leader Richard Butler, in a poll that started Friday. a plurality of 46 of 137 respondents (33.6%) considered Craig to be the most notorious on a list of five provided by HucksOnline. 45 of 137 (32.8%) considered Butler the most infamous Idahoan. 20 (14.6%) felt Randy Weaver was the worst of the bunch, while 16 (11.7%) voted for killer Claude Dallas as worst. No one voted for Gutson Borglum, the Mount Rushmore sculptor who had ties to the KKK. 10 (7.3%) thought someone else was worse than these 5.
• LeBron James: 67 of 171 respondents (39%) said LeBron James’ decision to sign a new contract w/Miama shouldn’t have been a big deal since he was a free agent. 62 of 171 (36%) didn’t care about LeBron or sports. 21 (12%) said he betrayed his old team, Cleveland. 15 (9%) said they agree w/LeBron’s decision b/c Miami will be a talented team to watch now.
• Today’s Poll: Which major Coeur d’Alene summer event do you like most — Art on the Green, Car d’Lane, Fourth of July, or Ironman Coeur d’Alene?
  

This started out as a joke. The punchline was to be something like this: If disgraced former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer can get himself a primetime slot on CNN, why can’t disgraced former Idaho Sen. Larry Craig do the same, albeit on a statewide or regional network? It’s funny - until you talk to someone who knows television. Then you’d hear about the curiosity factor. Spitzer was a political car wreck people couldn’t avoid watching - the hard-charging governor was caught frequenting call girls and had to resign his office. Now CNN is pairing him with Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Kathleen Parker, and the thinking is Spitzer’s notoriety is just enough to lure viewers/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. More here.

Question: Would you watch a TV program that included former U.S. senator Larry Craig? 

In 1996 when then-citizen Walt Minnick ran to unseat then-Sen. Larry Craig, Minnick took exception with Craig running as a “fiscal conservative” while using the congressional franking privileges to send out more than $132,000 worth of taxpayer-funded mailings to constituents.  Minnick, during his first year in Congress, has used more than $150,000 for taxpayer dollars to frank, though his campaign spokesman points out that he has used that money for more direct forms of communication as well, such as telephone town hall meetings.  Staffers for Minnick’s electoral opponent, Republican Raul Labrador, say that Minnick is using the franking privilege for political purposes/Dustin Hurst, Idaho Reporter. More here.

Question: Is Minnick being hypocritical by using the franking privilege he once criticized?

Former U.S. senator Larry Craig can’t seem to help himself. On “The Daily Show” last night re: people leaving the U.S. Senate, he was asked about his favorite perks. Now, he’d told the interviewer that he wouldn’t answer questions re: his infamous incident in the Minneapolis airport bathroom. But that didn’t protect Craig from himself as he responded to the question re: perks. The Berry Picker who sent the clip to HucksOnline said: “I simply can’t believe this happened!” You can see for yourself here (Craig interview begins at 2:30 mark). And you can use this Wild Card to discuss the video or launch your own threads …

On “The Daily Show,” Larry Craig discusses Senate perks (2:30 into video) as part of a segment re: why people are leaving the U.S. Senate. After warning the interviewer not to discuss his infamous airport bathroom incident, Craig provides plenty of laugh fodder. See for yourself.

Outrage focuses largely on three politicians whose sexuality has recently been under public scrutiny: former New Jersey governor James McGreevey, current Florida governor Charlie Crist and Idaho’s own infamous toe-tapper Larry Craig. Using interviews with influential journalists such as The Atlantic‘s Andrew Sullivan and radio host Michelangelo Signorile as well as gay politicians from both sides of the aisle … the film seeks to expose the hypocrisy of policy-makers whose voting records seem in conflict with the lifestyle they secretly live. But the problem lies not just with those who actually cast the votes that ban gay marriage, AIDS funding and employment non-discrimination. Much of Washington, the film asserts, is part of a “brilliantly orchestrated conspiracy” that protects closeted lawmakers, political staffers and news personnel from scrutiny and exposure/Jeremiah Robert Wierenqa, Boise Weekly. More here.

Question: Is it right/wrong to out politicians who are secretly gay but regularly vote against gay issues?

(South Carolina Gov. Mark) Sanford (pictured) now finds himself where Craig was, just striving to survive. Sanford is term-limited. Craig’s re-election prospects were finished in August 2007. The question is how to stay in office the remaining 18 months of his term. Craig playbook - Deny. Obscure. Hide. Hold a press conference and deny you are gay. Pursue a doomed-from-the start legal strategy of withdrawing your guilty plea. Appear at public events - such as collecting an Idaho Hall of Fame award. Pretend nothing has changed, leaving everyone else mortified. Sanford play - So far, Sanford has been all contrition, all the time. Craig playbook - Bring out the family to stand by your side at press conferences as well as television interviews. Sanford play - Sanford stood alone. His wife Jenny has been elsewhere/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. More here.

Question: Do you think Larry Craig handled his “wide-stance” crisis as well as he could have?