First, I want to open with a paraphrase of (I think) Karl Rove'sAndy Card's statement during the run-up to the Iraq war. If it belongs to someone else, forgive me. You don't introduce a new product in August. That's why all these resignations are happening now. Everyone's on vacation so if you want to leave, get out now so there won't be such a fuss.
But Senator Craig's staff (presumably) made a bit of a miscalculation with the revelation made today.
David Kurtz over at TPM summed it up perfectly:
It's a pretty short list of headlines that could knock Alberto Gonzales' resignation to second tier status. But the arrest--and guilty plea--of a firebrand conservative U.S. senator for lewd homosexual conduct in a public restroom definitely makes the list.
My guess, assuming that it was Craig's staff and not Roll Call's intrepid reporting that broke this story today was that they were hoping Gonzo's resignation would have overshadowed it. However, none of them seem to have taken tv marketing post-Clinton:
Sex sells, Scandal sells, and Sin sells, especially when it involves all three.
Now, Craig and friends probably would have been fine if they had released it prior to Gonzo's resignation. Sure it's embarrassing, but it's quickly overshadowed by the really big news. It might be brought up from time to time, but no major damage. Also, with the family conveniently on vacation it should have been quickly, and relatively quietly buried.
Instead the story broke at the end of the day. The pundits had been talking about Gonzales all day, along with Michael Vick, and were probably wanting something else to talk about. And boy did they get that else. A sitting Senator pleads guilty to soliciting a police officer in a public restroom. It's the kind of story that the late-night guys and KO salivate over.
His defense was, if possible, even more priceless. He has a "wide stance." My guess his deviation can be traced back to one fact...he placed center in high school football.
Anyway, may Senator Craig stand as a shining example of when not to tell the world you got caught spreading wide.