Not surprisingly, nearly the entire Republican establishment has been silent on Sen. David Vitter’s (R-La.) sex scandal. Not that I blame them; what are people going to say? Rudy Giuliani was pushed for a response, considering that Vitter has been a key part of his presidential campaign, but even his response was a passive reference to some kind of “disappointment.”
But as reader D.K. noted, some Vitter allies are starting to speak up.
“We all think that we’re not vulnerable to something like that happening,” [Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.)] said, “but the fact is this can be a very lonely and isolating place to be away from your family. So I’m certainly not going to judge him because I don’t want that kind of pressure on me.”
Is that a confession?
Well, no, probably not, but it was a strikingly odd thing to say. Here we have another very conservative senator from a very conservative state, who touts conservative “family values.” He doesn’t want to condemn Vitter’s personal failings? Fine, no problem. He’s deciding to steer clear of the scandal because he thinks he might be “vulnerable to something like that happening” to him? Hmm.