The utterly indispensable Glenn Greenwald has a great post up today about the way in which the GOP responded to the original outing of Senator Larry Craig last October and the way in which they're responding now.

To summarize, when an election was just a few weeks away, the storyline was that the outing of Larry Craig was a despicable Democratic dirty trick that would backfire so completely it would reverse the impending Republican electoral defeats, not only keeping Congress in GOP hands but increasing its majority. People were shocked - shocked! - that anyone would suggest that Republicans were so concerned about a man's sexuality that they would turn on him or fail to support him.

Dean Barnett, responding to the idea that the conservative Christians in the GOP would reject Senator Craig, said

if those on the left actually knew more practicing Christians, they would know that the stuff about condemning the sin but loving the sinner isn't mere lip service. If the members of the left actually knew the people that they so casually and easily defame, they would also understand that infinite forgiveness is a hallmark of America's Christian community.

Unfortunately for Larry Craig, that was then, and this is now:

It's the personal aspect of this that is bothersome -- the deception, the lies, the adultery, the criminal nature of what he was arrested for back in June (is that the tip of the iceberg on Craig's adulterous behavior?). He's married. He's broken his vows of marriage. He hasn't been practicing what he preaches. He's deceived his constituency. That's what's bothersome.

How long before Craig checks himself into rehab or finds Jesus? . . . . Hugh Hewitt calls for his resignation. At the least, he should confirm that he will not run again.

I have blogged repeatedly here at RedState that we must clean our own house lest the voters clean it for us. . . .And today we have Larry Craig (R-Idaho) soliciting sex in a men's bathroom in an airport. . . . I can only say he must resign.

That last is from Redstate, which had this to say last October:

Mike Rogers, the scumbag who runs blogActive, has published a claim that Senator Larry Craig (R-ID) is homosexual. I won't go into the sordid details Mr Rogers presents; if you are really interested, you can visit Mr Rogers' site. Senator Craig has flatly denied Mr Rogers' allegations, calling them laughable.

Patterico has the details and (at the moment) 123 commenters who are rightly disturbed at Mr Rogers' abusive tactics. Sister Toldjah is rightly indignant, and Brian at Iowa Voice is hopping mad. . . .

Mr Rogers is a scumbag, no doubt about that; were he set on fire, I wouldn't urinate on him to put it out.

This nation's conservative radio and television hosts, columnists, authors, and of course bloggers live by a very simple credo: they are right and you are wrong. They are pure and you are not. They are worth more than you, better than you, more important than you. Their concerns are the concerns of this nation, not you.

The actual content of any of their stated beliefs means little, which is why it seems like they change their beliefs so much. In truth, they believe in nothing except winning. Their philosophies are informed by being against what their political enemies are for, and in favor of whatever their political enemies are against. They will accept anyone, anyone at all who appears to give them a better chance of winning, but if that person at any point starts to look like a liability, they will turn on them with a viciousness that's scary to see.

The Redstate blogger is right: the conservative movement needs to clean house. But while they may need to rid themselves of Larry Craigs - soliciting sex in public bathrooms isn't usually considered acceptable behavior - the real problem for the movement is its supposed standard-bearers.

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