Opinion: Today’s Rudy Chronicles--II

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As we reported earlier today, Rudy Giuliani’s campaign suffered another embarrassment with the news that Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana, the campaign’s southern regional chair, admitted that his phone number shows up in the records of a Washington escort service.

Late today after a town hall meeting in New Hampshire Giuliani called the affair ‘a personal issue,’ said he had yet to talk with his supporter and then added, ‘Some people disappoint you.’

‘If you look at all the people I’ve appointed, a thousand or so,’ Giuliani said, ‘sure, some of them have problems. The vast majority were outstanding. You couldn’t accomplish the things I’ve accomplished without outstanding people. Some people are flawed, but the percentage is no greater than other people would have encountered. People look at this in the big picture.’

In his statement Vitter called his activity ‘a serious sin in my past’ and said he had sought ‘and received forgiveness from God and from my wife in confession and marriage counseling.’

In a separate statement today Larry Flynt, publisher of Hustler magazine, claimed credit for exposing Vitter in ‘a multi-pronged investigation.’ He called a news conference in Beverly Hills for Wednesday afternoon to boast. Flynt, you may recall, was behind the exposure of House Speaker-designate Bob Livingston’s infidelity nine years ago. Livingston’s House seat was later won by, you guessed it, this same David Vitter. Seems like an ill-fated seat.

--Andrew Malcolm