Let’s Be Frank About Frank

I would never expected Barney Frank to make any comments about the scandal revolving around Senator Craig… but he has. Here’s Frank explaining his why he didn’t think Senator Craig should resign:

Well, I condemn his hypocrisy, and I think the hypocrisy is a valid reason for people not to vote for him. I think that when you set yourself up to make rules for people and then don’t follow them yourself, you’re committing a very grave error, and that’s a reason not to vote for you. But when you’ve been elected, it seems to me you serve out the term unless you have been shown to be misusing your office.

Look, we have a senator from Louisiana, Senator [David] Vitter, who has acknowledged that he was patronizing this prostitution ring. People haven’t asked for him to resign. Now, I don’t think people should be soliciting sex in public bathrooms, and I certainly don’t think people should be hypocrites. But we’re not talking now about somebody who shot someone, or bodily injured someone, and the fact is that comparable infractions among heterosexuals haven’t led to demands to resign.

Now isn’t this a very convenient and easy position for Barney Frank.. This is the same Barney Frank who had a prostitution ring running out of his apartment in D.C., and was reprimanded by Congress (censured failed) for having a relationship with a prostitute… He’s still in Congress today because he has been easily reelected by the voters of his district ever since.

Despite the obvious gall and hypocrisy of Frank, Dan Kennedy says there’s “a lot of good sense,” in Frank’s comments.

Matt Margolis is co-author (with Mark Noonan) of Caucus of Corruption: The Truth About The New Democratic Majority. He also blogs at The Buffalo Bean. Follow Matt on Twitter.