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"(This is the state, after all, where Gov. Edwin Edwards was re-elected on the message: "Vote for the Crook: It's important.")

It needs to be noted for historical accuracy that Edwin Edwards opponent in this 1991 Louisiana Gubernatoral election was white supremist and neo-Nazi David Duke. In that case, it was indeed important.

Vitter will be reelected in 2010, just as "Dollar Bill" Jefferson was in 2006. Heh. Only in New Orleans.

There's no reason why Vitter can't still bring home the bacon as before. However, don't expect to see him headlining any Family Research Council or Focus On The Family events. He is done speaking out as a "family values" candidate. If he is stupid enough to continue on that line, the stench of hypocrisy might be enough to jeopardize his seat.

Believe it or not people in La. had already heard about Vitters little daliences before the last election. It was rumored that he had "freinds in the Quarter". But there was no substantial challenger who ran against him that had the funding his campaign had. That said, La. for years has had the most lively politicians of any state. Another famous La. quote, kids around the country want to grow up and be president, kids in La. want to grow up and be Governor.

John Connally said during the trial of The Kingfish, anyone majoring in political science should go to La. for their masters. We don't care how crooked you are, everyone knew Edwin was gonna get his, we also knew we would get ours. Now thats trickle down that works.

How might this change when he has an opponent pointing out the hypocrisy of being the "family values" Senator and sleeping with a prostitute? Right now, no one I know of is hammering him, but I have to think it gets harped on when 2010 rolls around. By then, it could be "old news", and nobody will care.

reason says
"If Vitter's corrective action's are any indication, he is La's. senator for as long as he wants to be and a possible VP candidate if Guiliani wins the Republican nomination."


Now THAT is a bold prediction.

Do the oddsmakers have a payout for that pick?

It's very simple. Sen. Vitter came out and addressed the situation openly and honestly with his constituents. After it was in the headlines for several days, and people continued to ask him about what he did, he laid the issue to rest. He said it was a mistake, his family has accepted him for it, and now his focus was shifted to bettering Louisiana. With that, he hushed most comments and has continued to do his job. The situation would have been detrimental to his career if he had denied it, waited until it became a major story, or continued to dodge questions about it.

That aside, Louisians will probably give him one free pass. If he does it again, it's likely he will be in serious trouble.

I'm fairly certain the polls are showing the impact yet. Yeah, home in Louisiana, we put up with all manner of shenanigans. Edwin Edwards got away with sexcapades for a lot of years by never denying it and never making anyone else's moral shortcomings in that area an issue.

The difference is, Vitter was a "family values" guy, who pounded on the idea over and over again (not to mention Edwards' reputation) to get elected. A decent candidate with enough funding to air commercials statewide will probably give Vitter a tough time, especially in the more conservative north Louisiana.

The attitude back home (particularly in south Louisiana) has always sort of been that we didn't care who you slept with, just so long as you got things done for the rest of us when you weren't sleeping with them. What went on between you and your wife, partner, or whatever was your business. Just don't lie about it. That's where Vitter will have a problem....

David Vitter has Louisiana values, plain and simple. People look at his voting record and where he stands on issues, and realize that he stands for them. Vitter has fought vigerously to restore the Gulf coast for his home state, and that has helped to boost his popularity even more. Not to mention that Vitter admitted this "sin" and called it what it is, sin. He also talked openly about seeking Christian counseling to put his marriage back together. This strikes a cord with people. Everyone makes mistakes, but what you do to correct them shows the character of your heart. If Vitter's corrective action's are any indication, he is La's. senator for as long as he wants to be and a possible VP candidate if Guiliani wins the Republican nomination.

I just don't understand why David Vitter can engage in an illegal sex act and the media don't care, but when Bill Clinton engaged in a legal sex act, the media created a giant firestorm. It makes no sense.

I hope that he is able to rebound and someday run for the presidency.
Posted by: keith hittson | August 23, 2007 02:24 PM
Ha! He can run all he wants but he'd be lucky to be the Tommy Thompson of the race. Don't be naive. This kind of behavior may play in Louisiana but it won't play to a lot of other Republicans and Independents.

It seems that a lot of self righteous people want to throw stones at Senator Vitter. The reason that he remains popular with the voters is not only because of his battle to rebuild the Gulf coast, but, because of his stance on illegal immigration. Anyone who watched him on CSPAN during the senate debates saw him make a stooge out of Teddy and Arlen. I hope that he is able to rebound and someday run for the presidency.

"Now when we go out together everyone is gonna know what you look like underneath your clothes... It's a Sin! Look how nervous it's makin' me... underneath your clothes yes... when I get nervous I can lose it,' he breathed deeply, '... I don't like to see your beautiful zouk -MY ZOUK - stickin' out like that in public places. When I first saw those magazines I thought; what a zouk ... I'd like to f*** that. Then I saw it was you. Your zouk...!'"

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Jambalaya and a crawfish pie and file' gumbo
'Cause tonight I'm gonna see my ma cher amio
Pick guitar, fill fruit jar and be gay-o
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou

Thibodeaux, Vitter, Fontainenot, the place is buzzin'
Kinfolk come to see Yvonne by the dozen
Dress in style and go hog wild, me oh my oh
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou

Settle down, far from town, they'll give me a pardon-o
And I'll catch all the fish in the bayou
Swap my mon to buy Yvonne what she need-o
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou

anon coward says
"pretty soon, they'll own the whole country. caliphate, anyone?"

I remember when the Japanese bought the whole country. But I can't remember the last time I had to bow to my boss.

On the other hand, I see where Dubai is investing in a new MGM venture in Vegas. We may one day stop sending them money when we replace oil as a primary energy source, but give up gambling? Never.

Though on the third hand, gambling ain't cool, from a koranic perspective. Perhaps we should be dubious of the dubai=caliphate claim. They're mostly just money-grubbing capitalists these days.

'Last February the Department of Homeland Security oversaw a large-scale international cyber terror simulation involving 115 public and private organizations in the U.S., Canada, Britain, Australia, and New Zealand, all testing their ability to coordinate with one another and respond to computer-driven attacks. It was called Cyber Storm.

Nobody's said much about the results, or the details of the exercise scenario. But a newly-published DHS PowerPoint presentation on the exercise reveals that the real terrorist threat in cyber space isn't from obvious suspects like al Qaida types or Connecticut voters; it's from anti-globalization and peace activists.'

This is for real, apparently. The government is actually spending lots of taxpayer money doing simulations of potential terrorist attacks by peace activists. Wonder which part of 'peace' they don't get? And if they really think 'peace activists' are more dangerous than al-queda, well, not much more you can say about that level of dhimmitude.

poll wonk says
"Hey 11:52, you need to read some polls that you didn't just make up. HRC's numbers have been on a pretty steady upward trajectory (you claim her numbers are down against all but Romney) check out pollingreport.com to see"

Yo, Wonk, I didn't make up the numbers, I used the numbers that Cassandra just posted at 11:44. The hint was where I started my post by quoting her. Dig?

I think one has to consider - beyond the supposed moral flexibility of many Louisiana residents - that the majority of people just aren't paying attention. I realize the D.C. Madam story has been all over the news, particularly in Louisiana, but to what extent is the general population paying attention? If you asked an average citizen, even a Louisiana citizen, who the D.C. Madam is, would they be able to give you an answer? Though the story is journalistic gold for political types, many people just may not care that much.

Additionally, I think people have the ability to effectively separate personal matters and matters of job performance. During the Lewinski scandal, President Clinton's approval ratings were as high as ever, despite the media onslaught regarding his infidelity.

I'm certainly not defending Sen. Vitter's or the Republican Party's job performance, but maybe Louisiana residents know something I don't.

The NYT fronts word that militants have taken over control over much of Iraq's electricity. Iraq's electricity minister acknowledged this reality during a news conference that was at least partly meant to tout the reconstruction efforts. When militants take hold of power plants they "can cause the entire system to collapse and bring nationwide blackouts," the NYT explains.

The minister said militants sometimes want to cut electricity from Baghdad in order to weaken the government. But they also often refuse to share power simply because they want to keep it for their regions, which is seen as payback for the many years under Saddam Hussein when Baghdad always had power and provinces were left in the dark.

The NYT characterizes Bush's speech as "the beginning of an intense White House initiative to shape the debate on Capitol Hill in September." The paper gets word that the administration will release parts of a new intelligence report today that says there's little chance Maliki will be able to overcome sectarian divisions and make progress on the political benchmarks. The report, titled "Prospects for Iraq's Stability," also points to some military gains and warns that a withdrawal would lead to more bloodshed.

This new report, along with the recent criticism of Maliki, seems to be part of an effort by the White House to reduce expectations before the much-awaited progress report in September. "We are entering a period of passing the blame," an expert tells the LAT.

The WSJ notes that Gen. George Casey must be feeling pretty vindicated these days. A few months after Casey was pushed aside from his role as the top U.S. commander in Iraq because he wasn't too enthusiastic about the "surge," the administration is now warming up to his main idea of withdrawing a significant number of troops to focus on training Iraqi forces.'

'withdrawal would lead to more bloodshed.' yes, but it wouldn't be ours. if thse people want a civil war, let them have it.

Betweeen the statue of limitations for bringing charges, and the fact that solicitation of prostitution in Louisiana is a misdemeanor, don't expect much legal fire at Vitter.

And, his very sharp wife went on TV and effectively supported her husband, framing his actions as something they have already faced and gotten past.

As the pro-family, anti same-sex marriage candidate who "confessed" his transgressions.... something "family values" Republicans love a la Gingrich to James Dobson.... it seems Vitters is home free with his base too.

That is, if he is bringing home the bacon for the Louisiana political stew.

http://whathappenedtomycountry.blogspot.com

I was for abortion rights before I was against them before I was for them before I was against them -- often at the same time.

Got it?

It isn't the conduct its the hypocrisy

It's the hypocrisy, stupid.

Republicans have no sense of shame... nor irony... nor logic.

Amazing.

Three months ago, the Bush administration decided to expand the use of spy satellites in the US for homeland security and law enforcement. The satellites will later be made available to assist federal, state, local and tribal authorities. The program has been on the drawing board since September 2005 and was authorized by the director of national intelligence, Michael McConnell, in May.

The DHS wants access to the satellites to be controlled by a new branch -- called the National Applications Office -- which has a staff of about 40 people. The DHS said its internal watchdogs would be in charge of exercising oversight and in its public statements, didn't mention any role for the courts or Congress.'

Of course you can trust 40 government bureaucrats with the power to spy on anyone in this country, anytime and for any reason. And yet another new branch! Got your 'small government' right here.

Depends on which polls you look at, bsimon. She's still beating all R's in straight matchups in most polls nationwide.

Hey, I wanted Gore... she's too close to corporations for me. But again, any R will be just 4 more years of Bush/cheney neocon policies, so I will vote for her if I have to.

Hey 11:52, you need to read some polls that you didn't just make up. HRC's numbers have been on a pretty steady upward trajectory (you claim her numbers are down against all but Romney) check out pollingreport.com to see

It's just the typical hyprocrisy of sex-obsessed republicans. "I take full repsonsibility" = no accountability and now you can't criticize me, oh and my transgression is ok because I hit gays with bibles whenever I can

It's Dubai's World, We Just Live Here
Posted by Dennis K. Berman
America, meet your buyer of last resort: Dubai

Yes, that Dubai. The one that caused the U.S. Congress to erupt in protest over plans to purchase operational control at some big U.S. shipping ports in 2006. At the time of the controversy, one U.S. Representative, Illinois Republican Donald Manzullo, said: "They are not capitalistic. They are not free market. They are not bound by the rules of profit and loss ... and they are going to gobble up international businesses as we know them."

If this is so, then it's a great time to be selling to Dubai. New York's luxury retailer Barneys just did that, attracting a $942 million sale price.

http://blogs.wsj.com/deals/2007/08/22/its-dubais-world-we-just-live-here/?mod=yahoo_hs?mod=fpa_blogs

--pretty soon, they'll own the whole country. caliphate, anyone?

Cassandra writes
"so much Rove's comments about Hillary's negatives.She's not my favorite, but I will vote for her over the greedy lunatic Rudy in a heartbeat."

Odd. With one exception, her numbers are down, compared to July, against all opponents in all states. The one exception is v. Romney in MN, though his numbers also went up. Huh?

Judge Crater writes
"Based on this, things were wonderful before Blanco. Therefore the leevees were in great shape and NO wasn't flooded by Katrina. I suspect that many of the leevees had known problems while Blanco was still in grade school."

I suspect the original post referred to the Blanco response, rather than implying that levee integrity is related to the morals of the governor. Sure, the comparison isn't necessarily valid - prior governors can't be rated on their response to Katrina - but thats not likely to matter to voters.

Getting back to what the actual questioned asked... yes, this poll is flawed. The main purpose of the SMOR poll was for the Governor's race, and the numbers that came back from that are definitely flawed. Jindal's numbers are undoubtedly inflated which would lead me to believe that Vitter benefits similarly. And the poll is ostensibly "non-partisan," but the pollster has mostly worked for Republicans and his past polling has been greatly flawed.

I won't get into the details, but yes, I think these numbers are high for Vitter and don't reflect invincibility at all. I think the poster who made the point that no one is really making an issue of this yet is spot on. And... the rumors here are that the Vitter freak show has just hit the road with many more tour dates to come. Stay tuned as the hypocrite is further outed.

Here are some more fresh off the press. SurveyUSA. 8/10-12. Registered voters. MoE 4.4% (7/16 results)

Iowa. 7 Electoral votes. Bush won in 2004 by 1%. Clinton versus Giuliani, Thompson, and Romney.

Clinton (D) 52 (52)
Giuliani (R) 40 (40)

Clinton (D) 53 (54)
Thompson (R) 40 (39)

Clinton (D) 51 (54)
Romney (R) 42 (38)

Minnesota. 10 Electoral votes. Kerry won in 2004 by 3%. Clinton versus Giuliani, Thompson, and Romney.

Clinton (D) 47 (50)
Giuliani (R) 44 (45)

Clinton (D) 50 (54)
Thompson (R) 41 (41)

Clinton (D) 56 (52)
Romney (R) 38 (36)

Wisconsin. 10 Electoral votes. Kerry won in 2004 by 1%. Clinton versus Giuliani, Thompson, and Romney.

Clinton (D) 46 (49)
Giuliani (R) 45 (44)

Clinton (D) 48 (51)
Thompson (R) 45 (41)

Clinton (D) 49 (52)
Romney (R) 42 (39)

--so much Rove's comments about Hillary's negatives.She's not my favorite, but I will vote for her over the greedy lunatic Rudy in a heartbeat.

When will the traditional media stop rolling out the red carpet for Utah mine co-owner Bob Murray? CNN anchor Kyra Phillips treated Murray like a hero on Wednesday, the same day the Salt Lake Tribune reported on documents that prove Murray had pushed for risky mining methods at Crandall Canyon. Risky mining methods Murray has strenuously denied employing, but which contributed to turning his mine into a death scene for three rescuers and six miners.

It's the hypocrisy, stupid. If louisians like the idea of a man who pontificates endlessly about morals, and then publicly displays he has none, they deserve what they get -- a scoundrel.

I do not understand this comment:

"In Louisiana, we just like for things to get done; it's much better to be competent and crooked than utterly incompetent but clean. This is why Blanco is such an embarrassment--sure, she's clean, but she can't handle even basic functions."

Based on this, things were wonderful before Blanco. Therefore the leevees were in great shape and NO wasn't flooded by Katrina. I suspect that many of the leevees had known problems while Blanco was still in grade school. This kind of mischaracterization - in which problems decades in the making are blamed solely on whomever happens to be in office at the time - is undemocratic. There is plenty of blame to go around and having it stop at one person's desk or another is just crass politics. I'm sure bsimon can comment on a current example in MN.

I meant "Webb", not "Martin".

I cannot imagine this making a tinker's damn in Louisiana. Listen to the natives.

There are places in the USA that defy descriptive norms - Martin County, TX for its third world poverty, Houston for its absolute "can do" perpetual boomtown attitude, Austin for laid back weird, Park Cities inside Dallas for conspicuous consumption, - still, they are familiar and not unlike other pockets of poverty, energy, joy, or wealth.

But Louisiana has nothing to do with anything else you know. Nothing. Even their legal system is unfamiliar to every other state's legal system. A great place to visit, for a lot of reasons, including the food, but not like America as you know it.

Just leave Vitter alone. If he brings the pork, he wins. If not, he loses.

Senator Sanders of Vermont is backing a campaign to warn Americans that Fox News is using jingoistic programming to push the nation into a military attack on Iran. Mr. Sanders joined with filmmaker Robert Greenwald yesterday to denounce the popular cable channel for leading a drumbeat in favor of a military strike against Tehran.

"The leader of that effort is Fox News, which, in many ways, is a propaganda machine," Mr. Sanders said during a conference call with reporters and bloggers. He said the network was echoing "increased rumblings" from President Bush and Vice President Cheney about the prospect of an attack on Iran.

"We have got to put pressure on the mass media not to play the same craven role that they played in Iraq, where they essentially collapsed and became a megaphone for Bush's policies," the senator said.

--The New York Sun, conservative newspaper

"In Louisiana, we just like for things to get done; it's much better to be competent and crooked than utterly incompetent but clean. This is why Blanco is such an embarrassment--sure, she's clean, but she can't handle even basic functions."
Posted by: Grew Up There | August 23, 2007 09:44 AM

I can't understand this mentality. Sure I'd take an effective crook over an incompetent boy scout, but why can't you have an effective boy scout? I'm not much of an optimist but I still hope, even expect, that my Congressmen and women will have good practical AND moral judgment. Why won't (or can't) the people of Louisiana expect the same?

Politico: Pro-war group has interesting funders: "A new group, Freedom's Watch, is launching Wednesday with a $15 million, five-week campaign of TV, radio and Web ads featuring military veterans that is aimed at retaining support in Congress for President Bush's "surge" policy on Iraq. ... The board consists of Blakeman; Fleischer; Mel Sembler, a Florida Republican who was Bush's ambassador to Italy; William P. Weidner, president and chief operating officer of the Las Vegas Sands Corp.; and Matt Brooks, executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition. The donors include Sembler; Anthony Gioia, a Buffalo businessman who was Bush's ambassador to Malta; Kevin Moley, who was Bush's ambassador to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Geneva; Howard Leach, a former Republican National Committee finance chairman who was Bush's ambassador to France; Dr. John Templeton of Pennsylvania, chairman and president of the John Templeton Foundation; Ed Snider, chairman of Comcast Spectacor, the huge Philadelphia sports and entertainment firm; Sheldon Adelson, chairman of the Las Vegas Sands Corp. and ranked by Forbes magazine as the third-wealthiest American; and Richard Fox, who is chairman of the Jewish Policy Center and was Pennsylvania State Chairman of the Reagan/Bush campaign in 1980."

The implications of what Biden and Rosen are saying is that it appears impossible to reassemble Iraq under a single strong government, or even a strongman of the likes of Hussein. Biden's plan may be the last chance for a semi-workable model of government, but if that is not achieved, then Iraq may melt into warring, unstable fiefdoms under warlords that will assign their loyalties to Iran, Saudi Arabia, or some Talibanized network of affiliated semi-states.

Bleak, but we've known that.

AMY GOODMAN: What do you think of Senator Levin calling for the Maliki and the whole government to disband?

NIR ROSEN: Well, it's stupid for several reasons.

First of all, the Iraqi government doesn't matter. It has no power. And it doesn't matter who you put in there. He's not going to have any power. Baghdad doesn't really matter, except for Baghdad. Baghdad used to be the most important city in Iraq, and whoever controlled Baghdad controlled Iraq.

These days, you have a collection of city states: Mosul, Basra, Baghdad, Kirkuk, Irbil, Sulaymaniyah. Each one is virtually independent, and they have their own warlords and their own militias. And what happens in Baghdad makes no difference. So that's the first point.

Second of all, who can he put in instead? What does he think he's going to put in? Allawi or some secular candidate? There was a democratic election, and the majority of Iraqis selected the sectarian Shiite group Dawa, Supreme Council of Islamic Revolution, the Sadr Movement. These are movements that are popular among the majority of Shias, who are the majority of Iraq.

So it doesn't matter who you put in there. And people in the Green Zone have never had any power. Americans, whether in the government or journalists, have been focused on the Green Zone from the beginning of the war, and it's never really mattered. It's been who has power on the street, the various different militias, depending on where you are -- Sunni, Shia, tribal, religious, criminal. So it just reflects the same misunderstanding of Iraqi politics.

The government doesn't do anything, doesn't provide any services, whether security, electricity, health or otherwise. Various militias control various ministries, and they use it as their fiefdoms. Ministries attack other ministries.

I just moved here a couple of months ago to go to Tulane Law. I have never seen a political environment like this before and Ive been in politics for 5 years now.

This place is unreal.

I asked what people thought about Vitter when I first moved down here and people laughed. One of the people actually said, we'll leave that for the beltway to worry about.

They care about results.

Interesting. Thought Id put in my two cents.

The anonymous poster at 10:40 has given a very succinct summation of the Iraq situation. The surge is succeeding tactically but failing strategically.

'An assessment titled "Prospects for Iraq's Stability" will be released today, and it will express doubt that the Iraqi government will be able to end sectarian violence or meet political benchmarks.'

Back to square one. Better bring on the draft -- we're gonna be there a real long time.

'Barbour Griffith & Rogers has long been a powerhouse GOP lobbying firm. Now, apparently, American politics are just too small-time. BGR, according to a report by IraqSlogger's Christina Davidson, is trying to influence Iraqi politics as well.

BGR, the firm started by Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, has been promoting Ayad Allawi, the one-time Iraqi interim prime minister who over the weekend published an op-ed in the Washington Post calling for the parliamentary overthrow of current PM Nouri al-Maliki. The piece amounted to a trial balloon for American support for a second Allawi-led government, promising non-sectarianism and stability. Allawi has decades-old ties to the CIA, making him a known quantity to U.S. officials during a time of extreme frustration with Maliki.

But frustration alone doesn't get governments to fall. That's where BGR comes in. On August 17, the firm purchased the domain name Allawi-For-Iraq.com (the site's not yet live). '

So now the governor of Mississipi is deciding who'll be in the Iraq government. Must be interesting to live in 'democratic' Iraq these days...maybe if Barbour can't hande the task, the Bush administration can outsource it to a local dogcatcher somewhere...

Aug. 22 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. banks and thrifts suffered the biggest increase in late loan payments in 17 years as more homeowners fell behind on mortgages, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said.

Loans more than 90 days past due rose 10.6 percent to $66.9 billion in the period ending June 30, the largest quarterly increase since 1990, the FDIC said in its Quarterly Banking Profile released today.

Since the last Bush Recession, that is.

As far as I can tell, this is the conventional wisdom of the Iraq debate right now (leaving aside what is true):

1) The surge is "working," and by that we mean that increased military presence has reduced the level of violence in the areas where there is an increased military presence.

2) The surge did not succeed in achieving its actual stated goal of any sort of political success or progress.

3) The surge will start to wind down soon no matter what because the army is incapable of sustaining it.

4] And things will go back to exactly the way they were.

5] We have two choices: military draft/more dead Americans, or let the Iraqis work it out themselves -- after 4 and a half years and half a trillion dollars of our taxpayer money.

We could have replaced every bridge in this country with that, and paid for Social Security and Medicare too.

Vitter vaguely confessed to a 'serious sin'. But there is no specific woman to point a finger to, like Monica Lewinsky or Blaze Starr. I think this keeps Vitter from being associated with misconduct.

Furthermore, Vitter is seen as a strong advocate for the rebuilding of New Orleans and the Louisiana coast. He has added significant coastal restoration and levee projects to the 2007 Water Resources Development Act. The fact that Bush intends to veto the legislation only increases Vitter's popularity. This issue has an impact on our daily lives, while his sexual conduct does not.

You can say Louisiana is the state where moral judgment is least important to the voters, but when evangelicals and far right conservatives have been making of cottage industry in that state out of doing just that to Democrats, one can also say that if these people completely look the other way after Vitters transcretions, these folks are also the world's biggest political hypocrites.

'The era of divisive politics and getting down in the gutter is ending. ' Well then, MikeB, did it ever occur to you that you attack people more often and more viciously, than anyone on here?

And your misplaced idolation of Judi Guiliani, no she's no dolly -- she's a grasping, greedy street-brawling wh*re, who didn't let the fact that the next man she wanted happened to be married with young children stop her from publicly chasing him and hanging on him for the cameras, and making the taxpayers of NYC pay for her security detail. It was pretty disgusting to watch. I really felt sorry for the way she humiliated his kids--no wonder they can't stand her.

She tried to move into Gracie Mansion while the wife and kids were there! Not only does she lack any kind of class, she also lacks brains and taste. Ask any of her numerous ex-husbands and boyfriends. She's about as common as it gets.

Byt don't worry, Rudy never stays with one woman for long. Short attention span, i guess. I'm sure as president he'll have plenty of babes on the payroll, as did as Mayor.

Ask Chrystine Lategno, his 'communications advisor'/mistress at the time he met Ms. Judi. She cost the taxpayers $150,000 a year.

This isn't about Vitter's private life. He wasn't just having an affair; he was paying for sex. Prostitution is illegal. The excuse that it's just between him and his wife doesn't apply when he's accused of illegal activity.

The hypocrisy makes it worse. But being caught visiting a prostitute is far worse than being caught in an affair or visiting a strip club. It's just not a moral failing or a quirk of his private life; it's a crime.

I think Cook's assessment is right on.
His conclusion is the same impression i get from reading the interviews about that subject.
Except you have to factor in the Right Wing media like Tucker from msnbc, and the entire republican funded Fox opinion organization.
They have repeatedly displayed the utmost in hippocrisy by downplaying Vitter's indiscretions with a prostitute while married, and touting his religious convictions and criticizing his opponents.
All while continuing to make Bill Clinton's affair while in office, a larger moral issue and defending their stake-in-the-heart agression to insult him for his indescretions...not with a prostitute, and not touting moral supremacy either.

only the dems who love using it against Republicans care, the people of LA don't.
dems act like the perversions of their own are no big deal, maybe the dems should stop before it backfires against them.

So-called 'christian' and 'family values' voters have shown themselves to be remarkable hypocritical. They will vote for anyone, as long as they share their 'values' of hating homosexuals, immigrants, and muslims.

As long as the Louisiana Democrats can field a decent candidate in 2010, David Vitter is a goner. Look for Louisiana Dems to rally around Congressman Charlie Melancon, who would be a formidable foe for Vitter. Melancon is a solid candidate with social views in line with most Louisianians. Plus, Melancon has been a strong advocate of key local issues, such as wetland preservation, which will be an important issue in the 2010 election. The word on the street is that Melancon wanted to run against Vitter even before the Vitter scandal broke.

While the voters may appear to be sticking with Vitter, we can't get ahead of ourselves. In 2010, Vitter won't have the institutional support that he enjoyed in 2004. Conservative leaders in the state feel betrayed by Vitter. When Vitter was approached to run for the US Senate, the prostitution rumors were already out there. Vitter assured these leaders that the rumors were untrue. Furthermore, Vitter angered fellow GOP'er and gubernatorial candidate Bobby Jindal by scheduling the "serious sin" press conference on the same day that Jindal formally announced that he was running for governor. And of course, Louisiana Democrats don't like David "Family Values" Vitter beccause Vitter is a ginormous hypocrite.

However, if the LA Dems are unable to field a strong candidate like Melancon, Vitter could return to DC. The LA Democratic Party is in sad shape right now, as evidenced by the ads the party is currently running which attack Bobby Jindal's religious views. A lot of us Dems down here are embarrassed by our party's tactics, but we LA Dems will get our act together by 2010.

I agree that it is his hypocrasy that stinks, not his
getting a massage (or more). Private lives should be private. If his wife is willing to stick with him, that should be all that matters.

EXCEPT for the hypocrasy, which does reflect on his public performance. He should apologize to Bill Clinton as well as his wife. And I bet that would get him a positive bump in the polls.

If he has done a good job otherwise, then it makes perfect sense that the voters are still in support of him. We all want ethically sound politicians representing us but truth be told EVERYONE has something in their closet that they would be ashamed of and would rather not be exposed. The voters of Louisiana are being pragmatic about the situation.

In addition, you have to take into account the culture of the area. I grew up at the border of LA and TX with family from LA. The culture of the area is that men do and will stray some but if they are taking care of business otherwise, it is ignored.

Two words: Attack Ads.

He isn't running against anyone right now so why would the Democratic party use up the fire power on this until it has a real impact. I also disagree that this is over. The LA state democratic party will bide their sweet time until 2010 to unleash the attack ads then you will see those numbers go down if he even runs again.

I have kept an open mind until now about the Bush Administration's policies. Now the White House announced that they are immune from the Freedom of Information Act.
I understand secrets are part of government. However, this administration feels it does not have to follow the law in any regards. Examples: overturning court convictions made by a jury, illegal wiretapping, refusal to allow current or former White House employees from testifying under oath to Congress, and now refusal to allow U.S. citizens to petition the government for documents that are not classified as classified.
Lets end the debate and call what this government is: autocratic not democratic.

"Why haven't Vitter's actions had more of a negative effect on his polling numbers?"

How's that old song go, "We've only just begun..."

The polls aren't refelcting it yet, because it takes a little while for this to sink in. You write like it is already "over" and that is not the case at all.

A lot of the resultant backlash won't be visible until the next election cycle, and it will surely get aired-out then, over and over again.

Even those Uncle-Grampa Loozianans' have an indignation line that, while thay cross it slowly, when they do get disgusted with one of their own politicians, there's no repairing the damage.

This is just a lot toothpaste out of the tube, and it isn't just going away. Observing the poll numbers at this juncture really is no better than reading tea leaves.

The tea leaves might actually be more accurate.

Sorry... that should have read "phoned HOME the next day..."

Over here in Australia, Kevin Rudd, the leader of the Opposition Party (and most people would say the man who will become our Prime Minister in a few months), was recently "outed" for having visited a Strip Club in New York City a few years back. Fortunately for him, he had phoned him the next day to confess to his wife! Blanket media coverage for days.

A week later, his approval rating had INCREASED.

The Premier of the State of Queensland (sort of like a Governor), Peter Beatie was quoted as saying "This will give him a bump in the polls. Australian men will be glad to see he has blood in his veins..."

He was right.

So maybe the people of Lousianna have something in common with those of us down-under...

Louisiana is famous for tolerating sexual excapades by its politicians. Governor Earl Long carried on a very public affair wiith a stripper in the 1950's. Edwin Edwards' other most famous quote (after "vote the crook") is that he wouldn't lose an election over his hijinks unless he was found in bed "with a dead woman or a live boy".

Unlike those lovable rogue types, Vitter has been a rather sanctimonious advocate of "family values". Louisiana voters might tolerate a certain level of carousing but hypocrisy seldom goes over well. The attack ads almost write themselves - shots of Vitter pontificating on Bill Clinton's shortcomings with newspaper headlines about his dealings with the DC Madam superimposed over the shot. I seriously doubt that he could survive that kind of campaign - unless the Democratic candidate is fatally flawed.

You have to understand, growing up, I thought the natural progression for governors in all states was their term, followed by a couple of years of waiting, then a long prison sentence. In Louisiana, we just like for things to get done; it's much better to be competent and crooked than utterly incompetent but clean. This is why Blanco is such an embarrassment--sure, she's clean, but she can't handle even basic functions. The Katrina aftermath has been exactly what I expected, having grown up there. Actually, 20 years ago more would have been done (with most of the cash going to line the politicians pockets, but some going to actual projects.)

For uncensored news please bookmark:

www.wsws.org
www.takingaimradio.com
www.onlinejournal.com
otherside123.blogspot.com
www.globalresearch.ca

Details emerge of vast scope of US domestic spying law

By Joe Kay
20 August 2007

New reports underscore the extraordinary scope of a law passed earlier this month expanding government powers to spy on the population in the US and internationally. The "Protect America Act of 2007," passed by the Democratic-controlled Congress, effectively overrides the ban on "unreasonable searches and seizures" laid down by the Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution.

The new legislation amends the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), the main law governing surveillance of domestic communications. The law had required a warrant--issued by a special FISA court--for electronic surveillance of domestic communications by agencies such as the National Security Agency (NSA) and the CIA.

In January 2006, the Bush administration acknowledged the existence of a NSA program, authorized after the attacks of September 11, that it said involved electronic surveillance of communications in which at least one end was outside the United States. From the beginning, it was clear that this was only one aspect of new spying operations of much greater scope. However, even the program acknowledged by Bush was a clear violation of FISA.

The main provision of the new law passed this month would allow warrantless wiretapping of electronic communications so long as one end of the communications is "reasonably believed to be located outside the United States." The government could carry out warrantless wiretapping of such communications for up to a year, after certification from the attorney general and the director of national intelligence (DNI).

The language of the law is vague enough to allow the government broad discretion to monitor, without a warrant, the electronic communications of US citizens. The new law would also allow monitoring of entirely foreign communications that pass through the United States.

By itself, these portions of the bill constitute a massive and unconstitutional expansion of spying powers. However, the bill grants the government even greater powers to spy on Americans.

A New York Times article published on Sunday ("Concerns Raised on Wider Spying Under New Law," by James Risen and Eric Lichtblau) notes that the language of the bill indirectly gives "the government the power to use intelligence collection methods far beyond wiretapping that previously required court approval if conducted inside the United States."

At issue is language in the bill that authorizes warrantless domestic spying not limited to wiretaps and other forms of electronic surveillance. The new law says that the DNI and attorney general can authorize, without court oversight, warrantless spying of US citizens so long as the information sought "concerns" someone who is "reasonably believed" to be outside the US.

For the rest please go to:

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2007/aug2007/spy-a20.shtml