Larry Craig must feel like a very lonely man. As soon as it was discovered that Craig pled guilty to disorderly conduct, his friends were jumping off the USS Larry Craig like rats jumping off a sinking ship.

Mitt Romney dropped him like a hot potato. Soon after, U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra said Craig should resign from the Senate. Norm Coleman said he should resign. Then John McCain said he should resign. His leader in the U.S. Senate, Mitch McConnell, is having the Senate Ethics Committee look into the issue. McConnell and his fellow Republican leaders in the senate stripped Craig of his committee assignments.

Romney and McCain are running for President. Hoekstra runs for the U.S. House every other year. Sen. Norm Coleman is running for reelection in the U.S. Senate. Mitch McConnell wants a Republican Majority in the senate. McConnell is also running for reelection in 2008. Many of Craig’s friends are also returning or donating to charity the donations they received from Craig’s Political Action Committee (PAC). They don’t want to be associated with Craig because it may hurt their chances for election.

It’s a pattern. It’s D.C. friendship at its finest.

That’s the way it is in Washington DC these days. Every word that is uttered from a politician’s mouth, every press release, and every meeting, are all tailored with winning the next election in mind. Don’t think for a minute that being a friend to someone who is down on their luck is more important than winning your next election in Washington, D.C. It isn’t.

If Craig resigns, the Governor of Idaho would appoint an interim Senator until the election in 2008. The Idaho Governor is a Republican and would undoubtedly appoint a Republican to take Craig’s seat. So, the Republicans believe that the person appointed would have a better chance of winning than Craig would if he did not resign. It’s all about winning the next election. The democrats would like to see Craig stay on and feel they would have a better chance to win against him and his recently obtained baggage.

If the Governor of Idaho was a democrat, the opposite would be happening because it’s all about winning the next election.

If he does not resign in a few days, I would be surprised. Right now Larry Craig needs some good advice. It’s too late to undo what happened in June. He did the right thing by making a statement. He did the wrong thing by not taking questions and by going into his cave from the public. He should do interview after interview after interview until the media is sick of him and people are sick of hearing from him. Then in mid to late September, he should poll the voters of Idaho to see where he stands in regards to reelection because Idaho voters are all that matter. Then he can make a decision, his decision, and to hell with the “friends” back in Washington because it’s all about winning the next election.