Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) issued a statement yesterday that he was sorry for the “serious sin” of cheating on his wife with a prostitute. Well, he didn’t exactly say what the serious sin was, but given that his number turned up on old phone records for Pamela Martin and Associates, DC Madam Deborah Jeane Palfrey’s escort service, I think we can fill in the blanks. Not to worry, though; he’s already taken care of it.
“This was a very serious sin in my past for which I am, of course, completely responsible,” Vitter said Monday in a printed statement. “Several years ago, I asked for and received forgiveness from God and my wife in confession and marriage counseling. Out of respect for my family, I will keep my discussion of the matter there — with God and them. But I certainly offer my deep and sincere apologies to all I have disappointed and let down in any way.”
It’s not at all unusual these days to find that family-values Republicans don’t really value their families all that much, at least not when they can get ahold of some nice extracurricular booty. And sure enough, Mr. Vitter is well known for his support of traditional marriage, so much so that — less than a year after Katrina ravaged New Orleans and the Gulf Coast — he said of the federal marriage amendment, “I don’t believe there’s any issue that’s more important than this one.”
Yeah, because homos getting married would threaten his marriage, and then…
Oh, I see. The amendment failed to pass the Senate in 2006, so his marriage was threatened, and that made him cheat on his wife back before he was elected to the Senate in 2004. Yeah, that makes sense.
ADDENDUM: Del pointed me to this 2004 Salon story that details Vitter’s political history. It ain’t pretty. Descriptive phrases like “lying, homophobic racist” come to mind.
Nothing new under the sun. Just another moral high-grounder showing their true colors. When will we learn?
This almost came out three years ago, back when they only had three kids instead of four. I remember reading the Salon article and trying to convince my mom not to vote for him. I thought David Treen’s brother calling Vitter a liar would do the trick, but no. (If you read the article, don’t miss the reference to Lorena Bobbitt.)
I called this morning to ask if she’d read the paper. I cannot bring myself to repeat the conversation, but let’s just say she feels we should accept his apology, as God and his wife have done.
What I’m worried about is that, as dozens of numbers come out (and come on, I’m sure they won’t all be Republicans) people will get a kind of olfactory fatigue and end up not even being able to remember who was connected with the Madam and who wasn’t.
It’s hard to say, Del. Clearly ABC missed Vitter initially (maybe b/c his number was in older records?), but I’d be surprised if it missed a bunch more, although I’m sure there are some, and they won’t all be Republicans.
<i>”Palfrey revealed details of her escort service on ABC’s news magazine “20/20″ on May 4. At the time, ABC said it could not link any information in records from 2002 to 2006, provided by Palfrey, to members of Congress or White House officials but did find links to prominent business executives, NASA officials and at least five military officers.”</i>
The article at the Yahoo link has been expanded since I first read it, and it shows Vitter as Giuliani’s regional campaign coordinator for the South. Gee, first Rudy gets one busted for blow and now this. Too bad.
Oh, I’m sorry, Kathy. I understood that only the first portion of her Rolodex had been released. I need to read more carefully, I guess.
Yeah, hilarious that he’s connected with Giuliani. I’m thinking Rudy is putting together Team Womanizer. Except really I was thinking of another longish word that begins with “w” and ends with “er.”
Would that be a British slang term by chance?
Oh, no. A much longer word than that. Three syllables. Second letter is H.
Gotcha.
[...] Sen. David Vitter faced more bad news today when a former New Orleans madam confirmed that he was a regular customer at her house in the 1990’s. Not to worry, though. She says he’s “one of the nicest and most honorable men I’ve ever met.” Except for the whole screwing hookers while railing about the gay threat to traditional marriage. [...]