Sen. Larry CraigAfter listening to the police office interrogation of Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, and reading through the official report, I’m worried about the lack of concrete evidence of wrongdoing that’s bringing down one of the nation’s top politicians. The audio is available from the Associated Press at evtribune.com, and the report has been made available by The Smoking Gun.Based on what the detective describes, here’s what Craig did wrong: He looked through a crack in the door into the bathroom stall where the detective was waiting long enough for the detective to see Craig’s "blue eyes." Once the stall on the detective’s left was empty, Craig entered and sat down. He touched his foot against the detective’s. Then Craig placed his left hand, palm up, under the barrier separating them on three occasions and moved his hand toward the door.(The use of Craig’s left hand instead of his right, which was much closer to the detective, apparently is important, based on the police interview. But the detective never explains why).That’s it. No talk about having sex. No skin-to-skin contact. No exposure of intimate parts or skin of any kind. Now, I think there’s little doubt what Craig was intending to do. That’s why he pleaded guilty to the charge of disorderly conduct and hoped no one would find out about it. But it appears the detective revealed his identity before Craig actually got to the point where he broke a law. It’s like an undercover officer on a prostitute sting who arrests the john before he offers any money and before they even talk about a price for sex.In essence, Craig was arrested for what he was thinking about or wished to do, not for anything he actually tried to do. Thoughts aren’t supposed to be crimes in the United States, just actions.One of the original charges against Craig was for "interference with privacy" or peeping, which apparently is why the detective emphasized Craig looking into the bathroom stall. But I’ve been into plenty of busy men’s public restrooms where you are forced to glance into stalls in order to tell if one is available without barging in on someone. You don’t expect to make eye contact or to see anything unpleasant, but still… Besides, the nature of the police interview strongly implies that Minneapolis police routinely use this charge as something they can drop in exchange for the defendant pleading guilty to other counts.I hope one outcome of the case that the Minneapolis police revisit how they manage gay-sex stings in public bathrooms. If Craig had hired a lawyer instead of pleading guilty, I think he could have gotten the entire case dismissed for lack of evidence.

The possible bid by Rep. Mark Anderson, R-Mesa, for the congressional seat currently held by Rep. Harry Mitchell, D-Tempe, opens a new dimension for this race. I have been told that some Republican Party regulars (include a few potential competitors) are trying to talk him out of running to reduce the bloodletting in a combative primary. But his announcement about creating an exploratory committee, as reported Wednesday by Tribune writer Paul Giblin, demonstrates an independent streak that characterizes Anderson’s general relationship with other Republican politicians.Anderson is a reliably pro-life, pro-family values conservative with a track record of quietly winning elections in west Mesa. He’s considered less ideological and less inflammatory than his two colleagues from legislative District 18, Rep. Russell Pearce and Sen. Karen Johnson. He sees a limited role for government beyond basic public safety and transportation issues. (He believes in the effectiveness of drug addiction treatment, for example, and has supported government funding for faith-based approaches). He struggles from time to time with religious slights against his membership in Rev. Sun Myung Moon’s Unification Church (which somehow gets confused with Scientology).Anderson has shown he can work face-to-face with Democrats to shape policy. That certainly could help Anderson in a general election match up. But a reputation for reaching across the party aisle might hurt him in a Republican primary where at least some party voters will be looking for a highly partisan candidate to clash with Mitchell.Another challenge for Anderson is his Mesa support base falls largely outside of Congressional District 5. He has to figure how to appeal to Republicans in Scottsdale and Ahwatukee Foothills who don’t share as strong a dislike for government spending as their Mesa counterparts, while preferring less government interference on social issues. (Keep in mind, we’re talking shades of GOP red here).A good gauge of Anderson’s potential success will be how much money he can raise before he makes a final decision on whether to enter the race, probably in January. A relative lack of money might not keep Anderson from running. But it could very well prevent him from reaching enough voters to have a real impact on the September 2008 primary.

Arizona Senate President Tim BeeArizona Democrats are so eager to protect their congressional gains from 2006 that they are lashing out at Republicans before they become candidates.The Arizona Daily Star in Tucson and the Arizona Capitol Times both reported last week that state Senate President Tim Bee, R-Tucson, is about to create an exploratory committee so he can start raising money to challenge Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Tucson, next year. Bee has been careful to not say he actually will enter the race, because that would trigger Arizona’s "resign-to-run" law and force Bee to give up his state legislative seat. But it’s become clear in recent weeks that Bee is the presumptive Republican candidate, as GOP insiders in Congressional District 8 want to avoid another splintered primary campaign that they believed contributed to Giffords’ 2006 victory.On Monday, Don Bivens, the new chairman of the Arizona Democratic Party, sent out a news release saying the party is "investigating" whether Bee already has violated the law by not resigning. Based on what evidence, you ask? Bivens cites comments in the Daily Star story that Bee has to start raising money now if he ever hopes to match the $1 million that Giffords already has in the bank. Oh, and the fact that Bee reluctantly answered a reporter’s question about the situation in Iraq."Tim Bee is trying to have it both ways," Bivens said. "When Rep. Giffords ran for Congress, she did the right thing and resigned her seat in the Arizona Legislature. Now, I’m not sure if Tim Bee just doesn’t have substantive opinions or if he’s trying to skirt the law. Either way, he should at least have the gumption to reveal his true intentions."I know a lot of Arizonans cherish the tradition of resign-to-run and they get frustrated when some politicians clearly are using loopholes to avoid the law’s requirements. But the Democrats are being silly about this on a couple of levels.First, by Bivens’ standard, Gov. Janet Napolitano should have resigned as governor a long time ago. It’s well known that Napolitano would like to run for the U.S. Senate - John McCain’s seat in 2010 appears to be her target at this point - and she’s answered lots of questions since 2003 about Iraq. She could form an exploratory committee at any time, but doesn’t need to because, well, she’s the governor. Napolitano has just as much right to be coy about her plans as Bee does, as long as neither one enters a true campaign mode.Furthermore, why do Democrats want Bee out of the Senate at this point? That would only give him more time to focus on defeating Giffords without the distraction of running the Senate, which really has become a full-time, year-round job. I don’t know why Bee hasn’t resigned already if he really is committed to a congressional bid instead of still weighing options. Others have speculated holding the Senate post will give Bee a higher media profile, especially during the 2008 legislative session. But his recent predecessors discovered it’s nearly impossible to be Senate president and run for another elected office at the same time. I can’t imagine what skills or tricks Bee might possess that Ken Bennett and Randall Gnant lacked.But the Democrats aren’t the only ones playing odd games early in the 2008 campaign for Congress. Every time that state Republican Party chairman Randy Pullen wants to criticize what Democrats in Washington are doing, he specifically names Giffords and Rep. Harry Mitchell, a Tempe Democrat, as co-conspirators or enablers. He never mentions Rep. Ed Pastor of Phoenix or Raul Grijalva of Tucson, experienced Democrat lawmakers who actually have far more influence at this point. Of course, Pastor and Grajalva are considered "safe" incumbents while Giffords and Mitchell are "vulnerable" because they are in their first terms.

Rep. Rick RenziRep. Rick Renzi, R-Ariz., finally revealed Thursday what’s been known in Arizona political circles for some time - he won’t seek re-election after six years of representing the largest congressional district in the state. Making a formal announcement in late August was an important consideration for Republicans who want to keep Congressional District 1 and prevent the Arizona House delegation from going to five Democrats and three Republicans (assuming the other incumbents were to win in 2008). Three Democrats already have entered the race, former television journalist Mary Kim Titla, Flagstaff and Tempe lawyer Howard Shanker and former Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Flagstaff, who resigned her state office to run. (Another prominent name frequently mentioned is Steve Owens, a previous congressional candidate and the current director of the state Department of Environmental Quality).But no Republicans have declared, out of respect for Renzi and in case he wanted to run again despite an ongoing FBI investigation. The longer that Renzi waited to reveal his own plans, the less time other Republicans had to start raising money and formal campaigning in a district that reaches from Four Corners to central Pinal County and covers the Navajo Nation and several other Indian tribes along with Casa Grande, Florence, Prescott and Flagstaff.The leading Republicans said to be seriously looking at the race are former Senate President Ken Bennett, R-Prescott, and Rep. Bill Konopnicki, R-Safford. Another name mentioned is Arizona Corporation Commission member Kris Mayes, who lives in the Valley but Prescott is her hometown. But Democrats really want this seat, as they have a voter registration advantage in the district. And some Republican insiders believe Mayes won’t cross her friend and Democratic Party standard bearer, Gov. Janet Napolitano.Money is a key issue in any congressional race. But it’s critical in District 1, as its geographic size limits personal campaigning and requires savvy media advertising. A candidate might be required to raise $1 million or more just to be competitive through the general election.A final note: Democrats are now hoping Renzi can be pressured into immediately resigning from office. That would bring a special election within 15 weeks, and further boost the chances of Democratic candidates already off and running. For that very reason, don’t expect Renzi to quit, at least until after the deadline for calling a special election has passed.