Sen. Craig Bids Voters Of Idaho Farewell

"There seems to be a double standard that reflects the GOP's fear and discomfort with all things gay," said Steve Elmendorf, a Democratic lobbyist and veteran political strategist, who is openly gay.

Mike Rogers, a gay activist and blogger who tried to out Craig last year, attributed the contrasting treatment of Craig and Vitter to "homophobia, pure and simple."

Furious about Craig's opposition in Congress to gay rights, including his support for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, Rogers disclosed in October that he had spoken with men who said they had had sexual encounters with Craig, including in the restrooms at Union Station. Craig's office dismissed the allegations as "completely ridiculous." However, the disclosure did prompt the Idaho Statesman investigation. The newspaper printed a report Tuesday tracing rumors about Craig's sexual orientation to the mid-1960s, when he was a student at the University of Idaho.

Republicans countered that Craig's case was unusual because it had been adjudicated by a court of law, with Craig admitting his actions, paying a fine and accepting one year of unsupervised probation. A senior Republican Senate aide said no ethics charges had been fueled in Vitter's case because his actions took place while he was serving in the House.

"This wasn't like he's been charged with something, but yet he denied it," Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) told a Reno reporter.

Craig grew up on a Midvale, Idaho, ranch and lived there after college and graduate school, until his election to the Idaho Senate in 1974. He was elected to the U.S. House in 1980 and won an open Senate seat in 1990 after Sen. James McClure (R-Idaho) retired.

Craig, a National Rifle Association board member, played a key role in gun debates. He helped pass legislation to protect firearms manufacturers from lawsuits. He also worked to improve background checks.

But his tenure and record amounted to little this week. Craig's Republican colleagues found out about his guilty plea when Roll Call posted its report on the Web Monday afternoon, and they began distancing themselves.

On Tuesday, McConnell and other Senate GOP leaders decided by conference call to file an ethics complaint, and McConnell later called Craig to inform him.

During a second conference call Wednesday, the GOP leadership decided to seek Craig's removal as ranking Republican on the Veterans Affairs Committee and subcommittees of the Appropriations panel and Energy and Natural Resources panel. McConnell again called Craig, who agreed to step down until the ethics review ended.

On Thursday, however, police released a recording of Craig's post-arrest interview. Pressed by Kentucky reporters on whether Craig should resign, McConnell declined to answer, although he called Craig's conduct "unforgivable." Other Republicans, including presidential candidates John McCain and Mitt Romney, whom Craig was supporting, also issued strong rebukes.

Yesterday in Boise, Craig acknowledged his lonely status, singling out Otter, state GOP leader Kirk Sullivan and freshman Rep. William T. Sali (R-Idaho) for attending the event. "For any public official at this moment in time to be standing with Larry Craig is in itself a humbling experience," he said.

Staff writer Jonathan Weisman contributed to this report.