Craigslist, the Web’s largest classified advertising site, says that it will close its controversial “erotic services” category, which critics have said is a forum that facilitates prostitution and other illegal activities. In its place, the company has created a new category called “adult services” in which postings will be reviewed by employees, who will look for indications of activity that violates the site’s guidelines.

The move comes in the wake of pressure from officials in several states. But it does not appear to go far enough to satisfy everyone in the growing chorus of Craigslist’s critics.

That’s newspaperese for politicians preparing to run for higher office.

Andrew Cuomo, New York’s attorney general, said that an impending criminal case brought by his office implicated the erotic services category. “Rather than work with this office to prevent further abuses, in the middle of the night, Craigslist took unilateral action which we suspect will prove to be half-baked,” Mr. Cuomo said in a statement.

Mr. Buckmaster said the move was “strictly voluntary” and that Craigslist has always been on solid legal footing under the Communications Decency Act of 1996, which says that Web sites are not legally responsible for material contributed by their users.

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said…“We are going to be extraordinarily watchful,” he said. “We are concerned about any possible new area where ads may migrate. We are not going away.”

Blumenthal is getting ready to run against that world-class flip-flopper and moralist, Joe Lieberman. Normally, I’d say anyone is a better choice than Joe. Now, I’m not so sure.