Madam's favorite senator not making friends in return to Capitol Nick Juliano

Published: Friday July 27, 2007





Print This Email This Sen. David Vitter doesn't seem troubled by his recent exposure as a onetime client of the so-called DC Madam. His brash return to the Capitol is apparently rankling lawmakers of both parties. After lecturing GOP senators about "rebranding" the party earlier this week, the Louisiana Republican annoyed Democrats on the Senate floor Thursday when he tied up legislative business. Although neither came right out and said it, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) essentially accused Vitter of lying to them when he arranged to introduce an amendment on a Homeland Security funding bill. "My disappointment with what's happened the last few minutes is it appears ... somebody didn't keep their word," Reid said, referring to Vitter. Thursday's Senate floor dustup followed Vitter's appearance at a Republican luncheon earlier in the week that caused consternation among some GOP lawmakers. Vitter lectured his committee about "rebranding" the party by reclaiming the fiscal conservative mantle," The Hill's Under The Dome blog reported Thursday. The blog suggested that Vitter, who just a few weeks ago acknowledged a "serious sin" in hiring call girls from the alleged "DC Madam," would not be the best to offer advice "on improving the Republican image." Blogger Cliff Schecter joked that Vitter perhaps "only mentally perused 'branding' in masochism fantasies containing ladies of the avenue." "Yes, this is a man you want to listen to on public perception, oh GOP miscreants. In fact, please listen to him guys. PLEASE," begged Schecter in a blog post Friday. A source familiar with the remarks tells RAW STORY that Vitter's comments were "taken out of context," and he was not trying to offer broad advice to the GOP. Rather, the Louisiana Republican was speaking specifically about taking a fiscally conservative approach to State Children's Health Insurance Program legislation, and he spoke for less than a minute. On Thursday, senators were sparring over Vitter's attempt to amend the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill to ease hurdles to importing cheap prescription drugs from Canada. After Vitter introduced the amendment and agreed with Reid and Murray over its terms, he sought to modify the amendment on the Senate floor. The move rankled Murray and Reid, and held up Senate business for at least a half-hour. "If we can't come to an agreement and trust each other ... we're not going to be able to get through these bills," Murray said on the Senate floor. "Because this Senate really is based on trust." Later in the session, Senators calmed down. Reid clarified that no one was accusing Vitter of doing anything "illegal or unethical," and he dialed back his earlier frustration at the delay caused by Vitter's amendment, which eventually was adopted by the Senate. "Maybe I have been around here a long time and just accept things for the way they appear to be and not sometimes the way they are," Reid said. "Senator Vitter has said there was nothing nefarious in what he did."



