Vitter is good for Louisiana

Bruce Alpert does a good analysis of the impact of political corruption on the relationship between Louisiana and the feds. He points out that the tribulations of Dollar Bill Jefferson and the guilty plea of Councilman Olver Thomas have taken a toll on the state's reputation.

So, let's all take a moment and thank Senator David Vitter (R-Canal Street) for being such a pervert. While the New Orleans Democrats who are caught up in scandal are simply crooks, Vitter is Holden Caufield of the first magnitude. Any attempt to paint New Orleans as a hotbed of corruption will invariably bring up the fact that Vitty-cent likes hookers to dress him up in diapers.

Say what you want about greed, graft, theft, and corruption. Yes, they're rampant. Yes, it's only going to get worse in New Orleans, since Oliver Thomas' plea deal means the noose around former mayor Markey-Marc is tightening. Thing is, this sort of corruption is relatively acceptable. People across the nation are used to crooked pols.

They're not used to perverts, however, and perverts who are hypocrites to the extent that Vitty-cent don't come along every day. That's why we owe such a debt to Vitty-cent. The actions of Democrats in New Orleans leave the city and the party wide open to attack from the next generation of Rove-ian consultants who are pressing for one-party rule. The power of any blasts they make is severely reduced because they really don't want people remembering that one of their US Senators likes diapers.

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