When we last heard from Sen. David Vitter, the far-right Republican Louisianan was taking at least partial credit for Komen for the Cure's decision to cut off grants to Planned Parenthood.
Exactly one month later, women's health care is still very much on Vitter's mind -- he helped lead Republican support for the anti-contraception Blunt Amendment on the Senate floor this morning.
Notice in the clip that Vitter not only said preventive-care provisions in the health care law "violate the consciences of many Americans," but also that Plan B contraception can fairly be characterized as "abortion-inducing pills."
First, Plan B prevents pregnancies, so the senator's remarks aren't exactly fact-oriented. Second, even if we put aside the substance of his comments, which strategic genius thought it'd be a good idea to make David Vitter the point man in a fight over contraception access? (Maybe the same strategic genius who thought it'd be smart to hold a hearing on contraception access with an all-male opening panel?)
Vitter isn't just another Republican lawmaker; he's also the senator who's best known for running as a "family values" conservative who was later caught hiring prostitutes. Published reports indicate he has an unfortunate background as it relates to birth control methods.
When it came time to vote on the Blunt Amendment, 45 Republicans supported the measure. Clearly the GOP could have found more appropriate members to help take the lead on this issue.
