What We Have Lost - In as much as Larry Craig is thinking the better of resigning his Senate seat (goaded on by the R.I.N.O. of all R.I.N.O.s, Arlen Spector), it behooves us to examine what Sen. Craig's past and current behavior says about the culture. It is apparent that Sen. Craig sees himself, if not his actions regarding this sordidness, above reproach. But beyond any specious claims of entrapment, it is unclear to this observer on what basis he could or would want to retain his post. By my lights, he has more than shown himself to be lacking in the character, judgment and temperament necessary to execute his responsibilities as a husband, let alone as a Senator.

Perhaps if he were indeed gay - or to put it more correctly for my purposes, openly gay - he might be able to plead his status as a member of a protected class; such an appeal has worked exceedingly well in the case of more than a few Democratic legislators (as discussed elsewhere.) Indeed, gay males seem as the premier protected class, in as much as many of them declare themselves free to troll public restrooms for random sexual encounters, to "bug chase," and inexplicably, to marry straight women. If society were at all comfortable with attaching old-fashioned responsibilities to newfound "rights," these would be worthwhile places to commence a critique of gay male culture.

As we are all sadly aware, our society has lost any capacity for cross-cultural critique, let alone for entertaining the idea of cultural assimilation. And the responsibility for this sorry state of affairs rests almost exclusively with the Left, by way of their reflexive genuflection to the twin deities of political correctness and diversity. But even as their political correctness was a thinly-veiled censorship, theirs was always a false diversity. The liberal "new man" espoused a heterogeneity that meant eating kung pao for lunch and Italian for dinner. If she had a Guatemalan maid, a Hispanic cutting her lawn, a black garbageman, lesbian friends and a Bavarian automobile, the progressive grrl was the embodiment of equality for all. (Never mind that she, her boss and grandboss, along with all of her neighbors were as white as new snow.)

The real and lasting damage to the social aggregate resulted from a mass defection from the idea of a person's "specialness" deriving from good works as opposed to liberal fiat. When rules of conduct for the "special" (i.e.: affirmative action beneficiaries, global warming zealots, single mothers and Hispanic bisexual amputees) are less stringent than those that apply to the rest of us (e.g.: evangelicals, conservative Republicans and anyone who wants to win the War on Terror), human nature will yield to such perverse incentives.

In this context, it is understandable that Larry Craig would contemplate an effort to retain his own privileged status. What is not yet clear is how whatever is left of a distinct American culture will sustain itself in the absence of any desire to assimilate. Given diversity's failings (as discussed elsewhere), we would all be well-served to assemble around one set of behavioral standards, such that we might remain one nation.