Self-hatred is the only hatred

that the conservatives hide.

The Spokesman Review and the Idaho Falls Post Register (none too liberal in either case) are carrying bylined reports today of about a gay blogger who claims that conservative republican Idaho Senator Larry Craig is gay. Craig denied the story to the Corey Taule, the reporter for the Idaho Falls Post Register, who caught up with the Senator near Boise on Thursday. The Columbia Journalism Review weighed in with an article full of source links. CBS television is running the story.

For its part CBS editors worried about an argument against running the story is that it enables unsubstantiated assertions made on blogs and talk radio to become legitimized in the mainstream press. They ran it as did the two papers here in the intermountain West. Full text of the CBS story follows below.

Craig has been a right wing wacko on a number of political issues in the past, but has moderated his politics somewhat in recent years as he gained seniority on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee. As the chairman of the subcommittee on energy, Craig has access to the "chairman's mark" which allows him to direct pork dollars to his pet projects and those of his colleagues.

Craig is not up for re-election which is significant in terms of the timing the of blogger's report so close to the November election. That seems to be a coincidence. What is not a coincidence is that the odious details of congressional sexual abuse of interns are filling the television airwaves, e.g., CNN, suggesting this may be an effort to tar Craig with the brush of a homosexual scandal elsewhere. The reason why remains to be seen.

The Spokesman Review story is behind a paid subscription firewall as is the one for the Idaho Falls Post Register. However, this report from CBS news is linkable.