The most recent D.C. sex scandal deserves our attention (SL Trib)

[struggle4progress]

Connie Clark
Article Last Updated: 07/13/2007 08:15:54 PM MDT

~snip~ I appreciate his refusal to make excuses or to blame his downfall on someone else. I also appreciate him calling it a "sin" instead of a "mistake" or "error in judgment." On this, at least, the senator is right: Hiring the services of a prostitution business is definitely a sin for Christians of any denomination. ~snip~

Here's what I don't admire. Vitter was apparently engaging in this particular sin prior to 2004, when he was elected to the Senate, and it seems he did so more than once. He had a pattern of engaging prostitutes, and yet he touted his commitment to strong, conservative, "family" values in his campaign and has continued to do so in the Senate.

Indeed, Vitter signed a letter to the Senate Committee on Finance asking for a renewal of funding for the Title V Abstinence Education Program of the Social Security Act. His letter states, "Abstinence education is a public health strategy focused on risk avoidance. . . . These programs have been shown to effectively reduce the risks of out-of-wedlock pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases by teaching teenagers that saving sex until marriage and remaining faithful afterwards is the best choice for health and happiness." ~snip~

Vitter's personal problems, though regrettable and possibly tragic to his family, don't merit national attention in and of themselves. But his behavior definitely doesn't match his stated values. That's not uncommon, of course, but it's more than regrettable. It's a sign that for Vitter, as for so many other leaders, it's OK to live by one set of standards while trying to impose an entirely different set on everybody else. ~snip~

http://origin.sltrib.com/faith/ci_6370062