Lucky Senator Vitter

From the New York Times Editorial Board:

As Congressman Vito Fossella, Republican of New York, faces demands he resign for the one-two punch of a DUI charge and revelations that he fathered a daughter from an extramarital affair, he can only envy the good luck of Senator David Vitter, his Republican colleague from Louisiana.

Senator Vitter, a hearty family values Republican, shocked Louisiana constituents last year when his name popped up on a Washington madam’s private phone logs. Reeling from the news, Senator Vitter offered no explanation, simply providing a quick apology for a “very serious sin in my past for which I am, of course, completely responsible.”

“Responsible,” perhaps, but not accountable, apparently.

The Senate Ethics Committee responded to the complaint filed against Sen. Vitter by dismissing it. Since the meetings with the prostitute took place while Vitter served in the U.S. House of Representatives, the committee members concluded that they had no jurisdiction in the matter. Since Vitter is in the Senate now, the House no longer has jurisdiction. As the board says:

There’s a lesson here, kids, if you’re thinking of running for Congress. If you do something unethical while you’re in the House — you’d better get elected to the Senate.