A little alleged toe-tapping isn't enough to topple Larry Craig.
Instead of resigning in disgrace as the Republican leadership wanted him to, The senator from Iowa has stuck around and it appears that he has managed to save what is left of his career.
The party leadership has backed off pressuring Craig to get lost and has decided against exerting pressure on Craig by threatening to strip more than 20 spending projects he has sponsored by himself in various appropriations bills. Craig has used these projects to argue that his continued presence in the Senate is valuable to Idaho constituents, according to published reports.
Craig announced that he intended to resign Sept. 30 after it was learned that he had been arrested in a men's room sting at a Minneapolis airport.. He has since changed his mind and will stay in the Senate until his term expires at the end of 2008 and work on clearing his name in court.
So Craig will not go the route of Jim McGreevey with an emotional "I am a gay American" speech followed by a book and appearances on Oprah and whoever else would have him.