Are we witnessing yet another political meltdown? Earlier this month, Republican Congressman Larry Craig of Idaho pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct after allegedly propositioning an undercover officer in the restroom at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in June. He didn’t tell his family, friends or staff about the incident. Now that the word has gotten out, Craig is taking it all back, claiming he regrets his plea and that he isn’t gay. “I did nothing wrong at the Minneapolis Airport,” he said.

This all sounds soooo familiar, a politician getting caught red-handed, then denying everything. For his sake, let’s hope this is one of the few times the accused politician is telling the truth. But even if he isn’t lying, I would bet Larry Craig is on the way out of office and into disgrace.

We all know where there’s smoke there’s usually fire. And in this case, there’s a lot of smoke. Not only did the plainclothes officer report suspicious activity in the restroom, but also the Idaho Statesman interviewed a man who claimed to have had sex with Craig. Two others said they had been propositioned by him. And Mitt Romney, whose campaign Craig supported, doesn’t seem to have any doubt the charges are true. “Frankly, it’s disgusting,” he said.

Why do people in the public eye continuously try to cover up their misdeeds? In this 24/7 world of news and information, something that is public record rarely stays hidden for very long. Even if Craig is telling the truth about not doing anything wrong, the fact that he tried to keep his arrest secret makes him suspect. When will they learn — coming clean right away is their best defense.

And why do people in the public eye continuously blame the media for their woes? Craig said he had been “relentlessly and viciously harrassed” by the Idaho Statesman and that’s why he had pleaded guilty in Minneapolis. I know the media doesn’t always get things right, but it rarely pays to attack them.

I think we already know the ending to this story.

As statements go, Michael Vick’s apology today for dogfighting wasn’t at all polished. It was full of “you knows” and bad grammar. He didn’t read something drafted by a group of attorneys. Thank goodness. He spoke from the heart — at least he convinced me it was from the heart. The image I had of him as an arrogant punk has faded.

For a speech given without notes or apparent memorization, I’m impressed that Vick’s statement had all the right elements.

Apology: “First, I want to apologize for all of the things that I’ve done and that I have allowed to happen.”

Seeking forgiveness: “I totally ask for forgiveness and understanding as I move forward to bettering Michael Vick the person, not the football player.”

Denoucing what he did: “Dogfighting is a terrible thing. I reject it.”

Not passing the buck: “I take full responsibility for my actions — I am totally responsible.”

Mentioning the kids: “If want to apologize to all the young kids out there for my immature acts. What I did was very immature, so that means I have to grow up.”

Promising to change: “I will redeem myself. I have to.”

If only Michael had shown some humility and remorse weeks ago. I would guess his attorneys had something to do with that. If so, their advice was bad and ultimately hurt their client. It’s as important to win in the court of public opinion as it is in the court of law.

Why do businesses — especially big businesses — continue to put their heads in the sand? History tells them a crisis could clobber them some day. Why don’t they prepare for it? Why don’t they formulate a plan? Is it arrogance? Ignorance? Stinginess? Or just plain stupidity?

Over the weekend, The Los Angeles Times provided a telling contrast of two companies in crisis and how they reacted in opposite ways. Reminded me of the classic crisis comparison — Exxon versus Johnson & Johnson.

Mattel obviously “gets it.” The company quickly and openly communicated about recalls of its toys because of lead paint and dangerous magnets that could be harmful if swallowed. Customers were worried and upset, but at least they felt they knew what was going on and that Mattel wasn’t trying to hide anything.

Meanwhile, Countrywide Financial, facing its highest number of foreclosures and delinquencies in five years, stayed barricaded in a reactive mode, only terseley answering reporters queries. The result — customers rushed to close their Countrywide bank accounts, making the tight money situation even worse.

To Countrywide’s defense, they didn’t have as much experience with crises as Mattel did. The toy company has had plenty of practice handling recalls — 28 since 2000. But ultimately, there’s no excuse for not figuring out how to commuicate to your consituents during crisis.

As the LA Times says, “A crisis can happen to any business. But how a company responds offers a glimpse into how executives craft a corporate image and the way they want their firms to move beyond a setback.”

I’m betting on Mattel.

Back in the days when I was a television reporter/anchor, only people at TV and radio stations were true “broadcasters,” with audiences in the thousands or millions. Both the talent as well as those behind the scenes considered themselves to be professionals and took pride in their work.

Today, with webcasting and podcasting, anyone can be a broadcaster. All you need is a microphone, a camera if you want to do video, the right software and access to the web. Broadcasting has been democratized.

That’s good news for companies and organizations that want to speak directly to their clients and other constituents. No need to go through traditional broadcasters to get your messages across to a vast audience. Also good news for people hungry for information on their own terms.

But, when everyone thinks they can do something, quality is bound to suffer. Talking into a microphone or a camera may seem easy, but talking into a microphone or camera in a way that interests your audience isn’t.

Yes, there are a lot of boring podcasts out there, whether it’s an executive talking about his company’s new product, or a trade reporter doing an interview with an industry expert. Communication may be undergoing a metamorphosis, but the need for good communication is still important.

In order to make their messages resonate, people broadcasting on the web need to understand the basics of sounding and looking good. Lifeless faces, montone voices, and long, meandering questions will chase your audience away, especially in this age of shorter and shorter attention spans.

Having good content just isn’t enough. Before you go live, practice watching and listening to yourself. Get feedback from family and colleagues. Hire a professional coach. You owe it to your organization and your audience.

Back in the days when I was a television reporter/anchor, only people at TV and radio stations were true “broadcasters,” with audiences in the thousands or millions. Both the talent as well as those behind the scenes considered themselves to be professionals and took pride in their work.

Today, with webcasting and podcasting, anyone can be a broadcaster. All you need is a microphone, a camera if you want to do video, the right software and access to the web. Broadcasting has been democratized.

That’s good news for companies and organizations that want to speak directly to their clients and other constituents. No need to go through traditional broadcasters to get your messages across to a vast audience. Also good news for people hungry for information on their own terms.

But, when everyone thinks they can do something, quality is bound to suffer. Talking into a microphone or a camera may seem easy, but talking into a microphone or camera in a way that interests your audience isn’t.

Yes, there are a lot of boring podcasts out there, whether it’s an executive talking about his company’s new product, or a trade reporter doing an interview with an industry expert. Communication may be undergoing a metamorphosis, but the need for good communication is still important.

In order to make their messages resonate, people broadcasting on the web need to understand the basics of sounding and looking good. Lifeless faces, montone voices, and long, meandering questions will chase your audience away, especially in this age of shorter and shorter attention spans.

Having good content just isn’t enough. Before you go live, practice watching and listening to yourself. Get feedback from family and colleagues. Hire a professional coach. You owe it to your organization and your audience.

Some people just shouldn’t be allowed in front of a microphone, especially during a crisis. A classic example is Robert Murray, founder and CEO of Murray Energy Corp in Utah, the site of a mine collapse this week that trapped 6 miners. He hasn’t just broken important rules of crisis management, he’s shattered them.

Granted, Murray has done the right thing in not only expressing his caring and concern for the families of the victims, but also acting on it. He’s also passionate about doing everything possible to get his men out. But trouble begins when passion turns into blame and bluster.

Almost immediately Murray picked a fight over the cause of the mine collapse. Instead of refusing to speculate about what happened and saying he wanted to focus on the rescue, he declared that an earthquake absolutely caused the collapse, despite the fact that seismologists say they’ve found no evidence of an earthquake.

When reporters asked about a controversial mining technique called “retreat mining” and whether that could have contributed to the cave-in, Murray accused those telling reporters about the practice of being “lackeys for the United Mine Workers and officials for the Mine Workers that want to organize this coal mine.”

That kind of attacking and blaming others almost always backfires, but especially when the focus of your attack is the news media. During the same news conference, Murray accused reporters of writing lies. He even refused to continue his statement until the sheriff chased off news helicopters hovering above. Remember who buys ink by the barrel?

In his defense, Murray, like most people in crisis, is probably operating on emotion (for his workers and the company he built from scratch) and adrenalin, mixed in with very little sleep. Even so, a CEO in a risk-filled business should know better. He seems to like the spotlight, the mircophone, and his own voice more than a tad too much. Maybe his next hire should be a PR professional.