Flaming Liberal

 Re: David Vitter's prostitute scandal is target of Louisiana Democratic Party video, New Orleans Times-Picayune, By Bruce Alpert, April 28, 2010 -- http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/04/david_vitters_prostitute_scand.html

Dear Blogger:

Quoting Edward Chervenak, a University of New Orleans political scientist, from the referenced article, "Everyone knows Vitter had an affair with a prostitute, so the only thing that could hurt Vitter is some previously unreleased bit of information."

With David Vitter -– enjoying a lock on the Republican nomination, and riding high in the polls against his likely Democratic opponent, Rep. Charlie Melancon, in the November general election, given the current environment, one would be hard pressed to quibble with the words of Prof. Chervenak.

But, here is the dragon fly in the ointment, the previously unreleased information to the general public, that I feel should overturn the Vitter reelection applecart.

After the publisher of Hustler Magazine Larry Flynt discovered that Sen. David Vitter’s telephone number appeared numerous times on a list of calls to the D. C. Madam-—the late Deborah Jeane Palfrey, and after Vitter emerged from a self-imposed exile from the public, a press conference was held by the Senator.

In a statement, in a timbre as bitter as vinegar, at the press conference in Metairie, LA, on July 16 2007 -– with Vitter’s wife standing next to him, Vitter strongly asserted that nothing happened in New Orleans. Clearly Vitter’s remark was a flat-out emphatic denial of having adulterous sexual relations with Wendy Cortez, and Ms. Cortez has submitted to a polygraph examination -- which supported her contention that she exchanged sex for money with David Vitter at her apartment in the New Orleans French Quarter.

Vitter’s opening statement taken from a You Tube video of his July 2007 press conference at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxlqiDn2zM8&feature=player_embedded -- “Unfortunately my admission has incurred some longtime political enemies and those hoping to profit from the situation to spread falsehoods too, like those New Orleans stories in recent reports. Those stories are not true.”

“Not true” you say Senator! And oh what a tangled web we weave . . . .

In Vitter’s world of lying paranoid-schizophrenic behavior, given so many dishonest denials, and accusatory remarks, perhaps the below letter of apology -- written, and signed by David Vitter, under the threat of a lawsuit by Vincent Bruno -– a dual office holder in the Republican Party, and delivered at warp speed to Vincent Bruno’s home via courier -- somehow “conveniently” slipped the Senator’s memory.

Vitter’s carefully crafted “signed” letter of apology to Mr. Vincent Bruno, and the authenticity of the letter has been authenticated personally by Mr. Vincent Bruno:

{July 27, 2002

Dear Mr. Bruno:

On Thursday July 25, a caller on a WTIX radio call in show asked me if I would agree to participate in a radio debate with you. I said I would not because you are a “thug and a liar.”

This was an emotional response on my part prompted by numerous ugly rumors which had been repeated about my family and me.

After the incident, I realized that you may believe these rumors and allegations. I cannot say that you know them to be untrue and lied by repeating. Therefore I should have not said that you are a thug and a liar.

With this in mind, and in an abundance of fairness, I hereby retract my statement about you referenced above. Please accept my sincere apology.

By copy of this letter, I would ask Jeff Crouere, the host of the radio show, on which I made my original statement to broadcast my retraction using at least an equal amount of time.

Sincerely,

David Vitter
cc: Mr. Jeff Crouere and Mr. Ed Butler}

Nowhere that I know Vincent Bruno repeated “rumors” regarding Vitter having an affair with a French Quarter prostitute, but actually alleged that Vitter was having such an affair. From a May 31, 2002, column -- “CONGRESSMAN IS ACCUSED OF HAVING AN ALLEGED AFFAIR WITH PROSTITUTE” -- written by Mr. Chris Tidmore of the Louisiana Weekly -- http://www.louisianaweekly.com/weekly/news/articlegate.pl?20020603p:

“In what is becoming a high stakes political battle between some of the most prominent members of the Louisiana Republican Party, Bruno has charged that a prostitute, who stated her name to be Wendy Cortez, allegedly confessed to him to having a paid sexual relationship with the Congressman. ”

Additional quote from the Chris Tidmore column:

“Bruno, who supplied documentation of detailed accounts of his meetings with Cortez, along with specific testimony that she provided against the Congressman, claims that he only came forward with the prostitute s name and personal information when pressed as a means to protect his integrity.”

And the column goes on and on with facts and accounts quoted by Mr. Bruno giving causes and reasons to support that Vitter had indeed conducted a philandering liaison with Ms. Cortez.
No doubt, Vincent Bruno was not repeating rumors as Vitter so cleverly wrote, but outright asserted that Vitter was having an affair with Wendy Cortez. And to think and to assume that Vitter was not informed of Bruno’s charges in the May 31 column would be preposterous!
Furthermore, writing an apologetic damage control letter eating crow, with a healthy serving of humble pie -–likely wishing and hoping to avoid a court room appearance testifying under oath, had Vitter not indeed been “intimately” engaged in the horizontal bedroom “boogie-woogie” with Ms. Cortez at her Dauphine and Dumain apartment, is unimaginable if Vitter’s hands were indeed clean!

So for Vitter to engage in even more lies and accusatory chutzpah and hypocrisy -- while addressing the public at the July 2007 press conference, -- professing repentance, and asking forgiveness, has the pungent stench of some stuff floating in a facility about to be flushed and Vitter is as creditable as a holocaust denier.

Trusting a habitual “liar” -– void of morals and decency, an officer of the court -- possessing no respect of the law or for his family -- to represent Louisiana in the Senate would be like trusting the ill-intentioned serpent Aesop brought in from the snow, and Louisiana deserves better -–much much better.

Aeschylus, a Greek dramatist and playwright, said in [500] B.C., "In war, truth is the first casualty.” Unfortunately, David Vitter represents such a casualty of politics. And note that the caller in the phone call to Vitter in the You Tube video, played on MSNBC for Larry Flynt and Wendy Cortez, challenging Vitter to sign an affidavit is the writer of this column.

And for more, as Chester A. RILEY would say, “revolting developments,” regarding Sen. David Vitter, I invite you to check out a previous post: http://righthandthief.blogspot.com/2009/10/open-letter-to-blogosphere-from-david-c_07.html

David C. Bellinger
(404) 762-8779
E-mail: davidc53@juno.com
Atlanta, GA