Sen. Craig, Meet the New Media

This is top news and disgusting: Idaho Senator Larry Craig is blaming everyone from the news media to the police for getting nabbed, accused of making lewd homosexual gestures to a cop in the next toilet stall of a Minneapolis airport men’s room. He began his claim of innocence by saying — in the style of Richard Nixon — “I am not gay.” Whatever credibility Craig had left has vaporized since then.

Senator, meet the New Media — late today, police in Minneapolis released the whole 5 minute recording with him after his arrest, and within minutes, it was not only being played over and over on cable news shows but has been linked to countless news blogs.

Earlier, the Idaho Statemen responded to his attack with more revelations about his alleged homosexual behavior as early as 1982 and his preference for the men’s rooms at Union Station, just down from his Capital Hill offices. And, all that, too, is being instantaneously linked to news sites and blogs around the planet.

The media is on fire because the police audio tape is primal evidence that feeds both media and audience interest today. I cannot recall another instance of both the traditional and New Media covering the same story with such intensity … and one can only guess that there will be one outcome — Craig will resign within days if not hours.

What very well may happen next is that while Craig denies, someone may come forward on a blog with further evidence.