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: My co-blogger 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.
Cross-posted at Birmingham Blues.
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