Sunday Special: Let's Be Frank

What he didn't say

Contrary to local media reports, Senator Craig did not apologize to Idahoans in his resignation statement yesterday. [ooh yesterday? Who said it was going happen yesterday?] What he said was:

I apologize to the people of our great state for being unable to serve out a term to which I have been elected.

Hmmm - I'm sure he does regret being unable to serve out his term but that hardly constitutes an apology in any way shape or form.

He also did not state that he would vigorously fight the charges against him.

His website does indicate that he has retained a lawyer to "handle issues pertaining to the Senate Ethics Committee investigation".

He refers queries about his legal defense with regard to the Minnesota incident to Judy Smith who will be handling "all other legal affairs".

I think his response is along the same lines as his showing the young officer his senate ID card and his indication that suing Mike Rogers, the blogger who first outed him, was not out of the question - bluff, bluster, idle threats.

There will be no suits and I would further suggest there will be no attempt to withdraw his plea.

First, Senator Craig entered a straight plea, not an Alford plea that would avoid admission of guilt. No doubt there is language that basically says he was not coerced in any way and was offering a truthful plea. Attempting to withdraw it now would suggest that he was lying in his initial plea; I'm not a lawyer so I don't know if that would constitute perjury but ...

Second, if he withdraws his plea, the original charge will be reinstated (a felony I believe) and you can bet all sorts of details, about let's say, just how far out of the way this particular restroom may have been relative to the expected path Craig would have taken in changing planes, will come out. A chance he wants to take? I think not.

As an aside, not that it was reported but, Craig stated:

I hope I have served you and our state to the best of my ability.

Not I hope you know/believe that I have served you, but that he hopes he has done so.

He hopes? Doesn't he know? If he doesn't know, who does?


Penalty - Delay of Game

Puhleez, can you get over it already. I am so damned sick of hearing about how wonderful the BSU bronco football team is and how last year's Fiesta Bowl was the greatest game in college history ... blah, blah, blah. You would think that there was nothing else positive about Boise, Idaho other than this athletic program.

Let's be frank, the Fiesta Bowl? A miracle on ice -it wasn't.

Yes, Oklahoma has 9 national titles; 8 of the 9 were prior to 1986. Both teams had starting quarterbacks that were seniors except:

While Zabransky was in his 3rd year as starting quarterback, Oklahoma's quarterback a fifth-year senior (owing to the fact that he was red-shirted as a junior not being needed at either the quarterback position that he wanted or as a wide receiver, the position he played the previous season), was in his first season as starting quarterback and this, only because the starter was removed from the team in August for NCAA violations. In fact, prior to last season Thompson (OK's QB) hadn't played any minutes in that position since 2003 when he was last a second string quarterback.

Thompson threw 3 interceptions and lost a fumble.

Yes, those are the things of which the greatest ball games are made [I know it was all BSU's amazing defense].

That said, did Chris Petersen coach a helluva a game? Indeed he did. Credit, where credit due.

Update: And Another Thing

Just to get this out ahead of the election cycle -could we please find some political commentators who aren't completely worthless?!!

Granted Jim Weatherby sounds like a genius compared to Jasper LiCalzi (who sounds as though he graduated from the same educational system, "like as such", that produced Miss Teen South Carolina), but still.