His Own Words Likely to Confront Vitter

The list of telephone numbers is seen on the desk of Hustler magazine magnate Larry Flynt with Sen. David Vitter's phone number highlighted in yellow at a news conference in Beverly Hills, Calif., Wednesday, July 11, 2007. Flynt claimed credit for outing Sen. David Vitter's connection to the so-called D.C. Madam.The Hustler magazine publisher said his staff called Vitter's office Monday, saying they knew his telephone number appeared on a list from Deborah Jeane Palfrey's escort service. New allegations tie Sen. David Vitter to a high-priced brothel in his hometown, one day after he publicly apologized for his connection to an alleged prostitution ring in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian) (Kevork Djansezian - AP)

Roger Villere, chairman of the Louisiana Republican Party, said Friday he had tried to get in touch with Vitter without success. Villere said he'd been inundated with e-mails from Republicans, most of them supporting Vitter. A "vocal minority" is voicing opposition, he said.

Also Friday, people close to Vitter confirmed that he sent an e-mail to supporters earlier this week saying: "I ... deeply apologize again for letting you and others down. ... Our family will be fine, though we certainly appreciate your continuing thoughts and prayers."

Vitter, a Harvard graduate and Rhodes Scholar, moved rapidly from the Louisiana legislature to the U.S. House and then the Senate, thanks largely to his repeated attacks on what he portrayed as ethical shortcomings of his opponents. He assailed their junkets, ties to casino gambling and use of a tax-paid scholarship program.

The 1999 Times-Picayune profile called him "the boyish-looking, straight-laced freshman state representative" who was "sometimes lampooned as a Boy Scout in adult life." It said he hammered everyone "who didn't pass Vitter's ethical muster. Along the way, he made some powerful enemies. ... Even some of Vitter's fellow Republicans privately groused that he was a grandstander."

Vitter's allies say they will try to help him regain some of his luster.

"The past conduct that Sen. Vitter has acknowledged and taken responsibility for is serious and disappointing," Rep. Richard Baker, R-La., said in a statement Friday, "but it does not define the whole of the man, and it is not irredeemable."

___

Associated Press reporters Kevin McGill in New Orleans and Pete Yost in Washington contributed to this report.