From today's WaPost:
Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) apologized last night after his telephone number appeared in the phone records of the woman dubbed the "D.C. Madam," making him the first member of Congress to become ensnared in the high-profile case.
If you're unfamiliar with the DC Madam case, here's another snippet:
Pamela Martin and Associates hired college-educated women in their 20s, sending them to male clients in the Washington area who, according to authorities, paid $275 to $300 per sexual encounter. Palfrey said that, so far as she knew, her employees and clients engaged in legal sex play, such as erotic role-playing.
Vitter says that he's changed his ways, and maybe he has. I've long heard rumors that he's a ladies man, but you know how rumors are. Speaking of rumors, it has also been rumored that he wants to run for Governor, though Bobby Jindal is obviously going to be the GOP nominee this time around.
There is another interesting thing about this story: Lately, it has been the elected supporters of presidential campaigns -- not the actual candidates -- who have become embroiled in controversy. Last week, LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (a prominent Hillary supporter) admitted to having an affair with a television reporter. And, of course, Vitter was the first Senator to support Rudy Giuliani's presidential bid. So far, the scandals don't seem to be hurting the person they've endorsed.
And who knows it it'll even matter in Louisiana. It is, of course, the state of Huey Long, and (more recently) William Jefferson. And, of course, Edwin Edwards famously bragged that the only way he'd lose an election is if he were caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy. Since this is neither a dead girl, nor a live boy, the only question is whether or not Vitter is as popular as Edwards.
Interestingly, a story very similar to this played out a few years ago in my hometown of Frederick, MD. In this instance, it was an alderman who was on the list. He lost his job, though he is now a very successful talk show host. His biggest supporter, the mayor, was also voted out of office.
Who knows, maybe Vitter can become a talk show host?
Update: 10:29 - Nice quote here from 1999:
Asked whether she could forgive her husband after an extramarital affair, as Livingston's wife had done, Wendy Vitter told the Times-Picayune: "I'm a lot more like Lorena Bobbitt than Hillary [Clinton]. If he does something like that, I'm walking away with one thing, and it's not alimony, trust me."
One word: ouch!
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