This week in gay irony: Craig and Cohen say one thing, do the opposite

This week two interesting and opposing events took place that I thought made up a sort of salt-and-pepper set for discussing an old topic: When you say one thing and do the opposite, which matters more? ... or more specifically, what's the difference between saying that you're gay and actually being gay? And which, if either, is more significant?

First off is nationally shamed (not to mention rather creepy) Republican Senator Larry Craig, who, despite having pleaded guilty to playing footsie with a man in a Minneapolis Airport bathroom in June, is saying that he is not, nor was he ever, a gay homosexual.

Though Craig originally plead guilty to the incident involving the bizarre toe-tapping and stall-peeking, he recently stated, in no uncertain terms, "I am not gay ... and have never been," which I am perfectly willing to believe given his shameful voting history on gay issues. So his mouth and his votes say one thing, while his body allegedly says another. Which matters more, in the long run?

(One quick thing: I've been stuck in that very same airport myself for over eight hours, and let me tell you, it is a dull and darksided place. If only Senator Craig had been there recruiting hoofers for his restroom jazz choir team or whatever the hell he was apparently doing. That would have really helped pass the time.)

Let's move from Minneapolis to Hollywood, where Brit comedian and actor Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat, Talladega Nights) recently appeared in public with his very pregnant girlfriend wearing a t-shirt that reads, "Sorry Girls, I'm Gay." And, see, the joke here is that ... well, he's not.

The interesting thing about Cohen is that while his mouth (and apparel) scream "I'm gay!" all the time (he plays gay character Bruno, he wrestles nude with another man in Borat and makes out with Will Ferrell in Talladega Nights), his girlfriend-impregnating personal behavior clearly indicates that he's not.

The irony here is that while Craig allegedly (and admittedly) makes sexual advances toward men, he says he's not gay; and while Cohen doesn't, he says that he is. Did these two plan this?

So would Cohen's joke be funny if there weren't men like Craig around to set up the gag for him? Is it even funny now, for that matter? That actually points out one thing that these two men don't have in common at all: While Cohen has built much of his career from capitalizing on the American public's bizarre squeamishness regarding gayness, Craig has simply ridden the Republican moral agenda to political success.

Oops! No irony intended.