La. Senator Caught Dialing DC Madam

Louisiana Republican Senator David Vitter atoned yesterday for a "very serious sin in my past," after his telephone number turned up on the scandal-soaked call logs of Deborah Jeane Palfrey. The so-called DC Madam was forced to denude the records of her million-dollar escort service last week.

The self-styled social conservative may face more scrutiny than other politicians associated with the now-infamous Palfrey. Blogs are buzzing about Vitter's apparent hypocrisy: He's made family issues a key component of his career and is a staunch opponent of abortion and gay marriage. The first-term Republican doesn't face re-election until 2010, though his name had surfaced among possible VP contenders. (More DC Madam stories.)