I love the smell of hypocrisy in the morning

It never ceases to make me laugh when one of the "sanctity of marriage," see-no-homoSEXuals, hear-no-homoSEXuals, speak-no-homoSEXuals brigade gets caught with his pants down without his wife. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., is in the DC Madam's little black book. The judge ended the injunction on it last week.

"This was a very serious sin in my past for which I am, of course, completely responsible," said Vitter in a statement. "Several years ago, I asked for and received forgiveness from God and my wife in confession and marriage counseling. Out of respect for my family, I will keep my discussion of the matter there-with God and them. But I certainly offer my deep and sincere apologies to all I have disappointed and let down in any way." ...

In 2004, Vitter campaigned with a promise of "protecting the sanctity of marriage," and was a co-author of the "Federal Marriage Act" that sought to prohibit courts from interpreting same-sex marriage laws.
"This is a real outrage. The Hollywood left is redefining the most basic institution in human history," he said then.

And when he's caught again, say, helping Jack Abramoff morphs get federal aid for slave camps in the Pacific, he'll repent again. Ain't this form of "Christianity" grand?

And around 1998, Vitter as a congressman with years of hookerdom already behind him called for President Clinton to resign for having an affair, along with impeaching him for it. Will Vitter have the integrity to resign, according to his own standards? Pshhhah!

The DC Madam's entire black book now is posted on her website. Go see if the phone number for your hubby or senator -- or vice president -- is there.

This and that

The DC Madam says she may spill the beans on who's in her little black book, after all.

The student loan bill is advancing, but I'm not holding my breath the $19 billion compulsory gift we taxpayers now bestow on lending banks will go instead to students for tuition anytime soon, at least not with the track record of the Senate of late.

Good. Military enlistments by black men have plunged by more than one-third.

No wool over this judge's eyes

Wayne Madsen is the only reporter I've found covering today's DC madam hearing.
U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler in D.C. heard arguments on the Attorney General's motion to keep DC Madam Deborah Jeanne Palfrey's phone records that go back to 1994 restrained, but the U.S. attorney can't seem to keep the government's stories straight, and her honor ain't no chump.

Palfrey (right) has 46 pounds of phone records including numbers tied to Dick Cheney when he was CEO of Haliburton, Madsen has reported.

Kessler suggested that Assistant U.S. Attorney William Cowden appeared to be more interested in protecting the identities of PMA clients than in showing just cause why releasing the phone records would cause any harassment of potential government witnesses in the criminal trial of Palfrey.

Cowden says escorts could fear harassment, but when the judge asked him for evidence, he admitted no one has been harassed, despite ABC News having some numbers.

Then he admitted a "significant number of clients did have sex" with the madam's escorts, which led the wise judge to ask why this prostitution racketeering case isn't charging any of the johns, who all commit an equal crime of prostitution. Just how does one prove a prostitution ring without johns testifying they paid for sex?

"I don't know where the government is going in this case," Kessler told Cowden.

In claiming the government's motive to restrain the phone list is because the madam could sell them, Cowden admitted the AG doesn't have a copy of those numbers now and doesn't intend to call any of customers for the case, stressing it "is immaterial who had sex" with the madam's escorts.

Cowden's argument to maintain the restraining order on the phone list wandered all over the map. First, he suggested that after Palfrey's trial, the government would make access to the list subject to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. Alternately, he suggested the list would be turned over to the Smithsonian Institution or "buried" in a government warehouse. Or, Cowden suggested, the government would give the list away.

Cowden also suggested that the government could order the list seized as an asset and put in in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. Cowden indicated that the government's desire to keep the list from becoming public was to "ensure the trial [of Palfrey] does not turn into a circus."

One of Palfrey's lawyers pointed out the same records are available from the phone company (did he add, available for the duration of the legal statute of limitations?)

Cowden responded that the list, which dates as far back as 1994, is valuable because "no phone company keeps records for 13 years, only five years." He added that incoming call records are only maintained for a few months.

So, to be straight, he wants to obtain and "bury" the madam's records because they are the only records with the numbers of the johns he isn't going to put on trial. I see.
I think Judge Kessler does, too.

Kessler stated that the government's argument that it is the information in the phone records that is valuable "raises First Amendment" issues.

I think I like this judge. I look forward to her ruling on this, "in the near future."