Will Senator Larry Craig Resign?; Senator John Warner Calls It Quits
PHILLIPS: Idaho Senator Larry Craig hasn't been seen in public since he held a news conference to explain his arrest and guilty plea in an airport sting, sex sting. But, to put it mildly, the incident has jeopardized Craig's career. Republican sources tell CNN, Craig may resign, possibly as soon as today. Our Candy Crowley has more on the growing pressures from Craig's own party and peers.</s>CROWLEY (voice-over): To measure the trouble Larry Craig is in, listen to the delicate dance of a friend and supporter.</s>GOV. BUTCH OTTER (R), IDAHO: You never really un-ring the bell. And the bell has been rung. And, so, as we go forward, I suspect there's going to have to be additional consideration by Larry and his family on where exactly they're going.</s>CROWLEY: Consider, too, that Nevada's John Ensign, in charge of the committee dedicated to electing Republican senators, told the A.P. if he was in Larry Craig's shoes, he would resign. The senator has not been seen publicly since the "I did nothing wrong" statement. Wherever he is, he woke up this morning to find that his home state newspaper wants him gone. "If Craig wishes to keep his secrets," wrote "The Idaho Statesman," he may do so as a former U.S. senator. "His stunning misstep has now cost him his viability and his credibility. He must now step aside." It is water torture of the political sort.</s>SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My opinion is that, when you plead guilty to a crime, then you shouldn't serve. I don't try to judge people. But in this case, it's clear that it was disgraceful.</s>CROWLEY: John McCain thinks Craig should resign. Ditto Michigan Republican Congressman Peter Hoekstra.</s>REP. PETE HOEKSTRA (R), MICHIGAN: Right now the facts are very clear. He pled guilty to what I think is a pretty ugly crime.</s>CROWLEY: Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman, in a press release: "Senator Craig pled guilty to a crime involving conduct unbecoming of a senator. He should resign." Drip, drip, drip, and no end in sight.</s>DAVE KARSNIA, INVESTIGATIVE SERGEANT: You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.</s>CROWLEY: The release of audiotapes of a U.S. senator being questioned by police about what went on in a public bathroom only gives the story more oxygen.</s>SEN. LARRY CRAIG (R), IDAHO: Did I slide them too close to yours? Did I -- I looked down once your foot was close to mine.</s>KARSNIA: Yes.</s>CRAIG: Did we bump? You said so. I don't recall that, but apparently we were close.</s>CROWLEY: A spokesman for Craig said only the tapes speak for themselves. With Republicans in turmoil, no need to chime in here, so Democrats are in avoidance mode. Hillary Clinton kept herself occupied as questions were thrown at her. And Chuck Schumer, never one to run from the camera, didn't want to talk about whether a Craig resignation would put ruby red Idaho in play for a Democrat in 2008.</s>SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: Again, to me, we'll have to -- we'll -- we'll discuss that in future weeks, not right yet.</s>CROWLEY: In truth, Idaho is so Republican, probably the only way a Democrat could win the Senate seat would be if Craig were to run again. On the campaign trail, only McCain has called for Craig's resignation. But all Republican candidates seek distance.</s>MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, there's no question but that -- that I and other leaders of this country, and parents across this country, are -- are disappointed and find conduct like that which is alleged here as being disgraceful.</s>CROWLEY: Until Monday, Larry Craig headed Mitt Romney's Idaho effort. In politics, sometimes it's not political opponents who do you in. It's your friends. Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.</s>PHILLIPS: And CNN.com sounding off and getting lots of e-mails from you about Senator Larry Craig's arrest in the sex sting. Here's just a few of those e-mails. Jas writes: "Where are all the calls for the resignation of Senator Vitter of Louisiana, who admitted to being on the D.C. Madam's client list? Is this just another example of social homophobia?" Andrew from Idaho says: "As a registered voter from Idaho, I was shocked at the news of Senator Craig and his supposed crime. I don't know if he's gay and I don't know if he tried to solicit sex from the officer. I do know that he made a mistake by trying to cover it up and that will be his downfall." And Sean writes: "Would the Republican Party be pushing for Craig's resignation if the Idaho governor were a Democrat, who would then presumably appoint a Democrat to fill the position? I doubt it." And if you'd like to voice your opinion, log on to CNN.com and put it right there. Fallujah, Iraq -- a city long synonymous with violence and danger and death. CNN's Tom Foreman knows that. His special one-hour documentary on a costly campaign there runs tonight on CNN. I saw a little bit of it this morning. Pretty impressive, Tom.</s>TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, thanks very much. It's -- really, these young people who went over there, the Thank you very much. Really these young people that went over there, the 1-8th Marines Bravo Company -- the truth is all of our troops over there -- but these guys in particular, they are very, very impressive because in this battle, the biggest single battle of this war, the one time insurgents tried to stand en masse and hold land, these are the guys who proved that they would not be able to stop U.S. forces. Take a look.</s>FOREMAN (voice-over): The cultural center a half mile in is a stronghold to be taken and used as an anchor for Bravo's charge. As they approach at sunrise, Sergeant Lonny Wells is near the front. He's in his late 20s, always calm, the younger Marines naturally follow him.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's been around a while. He's older. He knows what he's doing.</s>FOREMAN: The wide road in front of the cultural center is comparatively quiet.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Running this way.</s>FOREMAN: Sergeant Wells starts running across and the dawn explodes.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were bullets coming in from every side of us -- from in front of us, from the east and west and then behind us. It looked, sounded and felt like a nightmare.</s>FOREMAN: The heaviest interlocking fire is coming from a nearby mosque and a building down the street. Shots, however, are all around, so Bravo cannot sit. The center must be taken. But in the middle of the street, Lonny Wells is down.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The first sign of combat is extremely confusing.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Back up.</s>FOREMAN: Joel Chaverri, whose job is to record the battle for the military, sees Wells fall. And as he lifts his camera, he sees a gunnery sergeant run to Wells' rescue, a medical corpsman not far behind. The gunny is shot and thrown several feet. The corpsman is hit, too.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was like a movie. It was extremely surreal. I didn't think. You don't think. You don't have time to think. You just react.</s>FOREMAN: Again, I can't say enough about these young men of the 1-8 Marines Bravo Company or, frankly, about my producer, Amanda Townsend, who, as you can see, has filled this with previously unseen images, extraordinary inside looks at how this battle developed as our troops went in and crushed what really was a physical capital of the insurgency full of car bomb factories, hostage holding pens, torture chambers, places where they were forging documents. This was an area the insurgents really did not want to lose and was taken from them.</s>PHILLIPS: Why look at this battle now, Tom?</s>FOREMAN: I think you look at this battle now because you have to look at this battle. We're at a critical time in this war -- a time when we, as a nation, are asking ourselves, what are we fighting for, can we achieve it, what's in front of us? The battle of Falluja is an extraordinary point in this war -- a moment where we showed what we really could do head-to-head in military conflict with these people. But it also underscored many of the social and political difficulties in this country. If you want to understand what's happening in Iraq today, I think you have to look at the battle of Falluja and try to understand what the men of Bravo went through for our country and what that might mean for our future.</s>PHILLIPS: Tom Foreman. We really look forward to it. Thanks. I encourage everyone to tune in -- 10:00 p.m. Eastern tonight. Tom Foreman's full special report, "Anvil of God: The Battle for Fallujah," hosted by Anderson Cooper. That's tonight, 10:00 Eastern, only on CNN. Straight ahead, remembering a princess -- hundreds of people gather in London to pay tribute to Princess Diana a decade after her death.