Ok, but all the Republicans are now denouncing him because he pleaded guilty to a crime. But Vitter also admitted to engaging in prostitution and they didn't hang him for it. Hhmm? Is it morally better to commit a crime of heterosexual prostitution than it is to engage in "lewd" homosexual behavior?
While the Lousiana state Republican Party offered guarded support,[39] national Republicans offered forgiveness.[40] The liberal magazine, The Nation, predicted that the Republican Party would be in a "forgiving mood" pointing out if Vitter did step down, Democratic Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco would likely appoint a Democrat to take Vitter's place until a special election took place, thus increasing Democratic control over the Senate.[41]
Marianne Means, a syndicated columnist for Hearst Newspapers, reported that Republican senators gave Vitter a "loud standing ovation" which she characterized as hypocritical by contrasting this with the Republican attitude toward President Clinton's marital infidelity