Denial is a Bathroom in Idaho

What a shocker – Sen. Larry Craig vehemently denied the allegations surrounding Bathroom-Gate today at a presser in Boise:

“I did nothing wrong at the Minneapolis airport. I regret my decision to plead guilty… Let me be clear: I am not gay and never have been.”

Standing with his wife, Suzanne, by his side, Sen. Craig also said that he felt he was the subject of a “witch hunt” by the local paper, the Idaho Statesman. (The Statesman today published a story with details of allegations by a man who claimed to have had sex with Craig in a bathroom at Washington’s Union Station in 2004.)

So… We’re OFF TO THE RACES, folks!

Craig is up for re-election next year. He maintained that he would continue with plans to announce whether he’ll pursue a fourth term next month. But rumors of same-sex allegations have surrounded Craig for more than 2 decades – the first being a pre-emptive denial in 1980s.

Already today, Senate Republican leaders have called for an ethics committee review into the airport incident. Left-leaning bloggers and interest groups have begun beating the war drums. And Sen. Craig has apparently retained legal counsel – something he said he regretted not doing in the first place when the police sting occurred in June.

Idaho is as Red as a fire engine truck. I don’t see how Sen. Craig survives this politically – even if the mounting allegations fail to be substantiated. And on the heels of the lurid details of the Mark Foley and David Vitter scandals, it comes as no surprise that Gov Mitt Romney is calling the incident “disgusting” to distance him from the Republican broken moral compass.

Expect more to jump on the bandwagon…