I thought it was going to be one of those slow days, so I decided to work on my new blog. Good thing, because when I started up the New Orleans links, this came up on Bayou Buzz:
There are news reports circulating around the Internet about an incident involving Louisiana US Senator David Vitter throwing a "temper tantrum" at an airport and then using his position as US Senator as a "dress down". According to one news account, Senator Vitter's office has confirmed the incident.
Yeah, that David Vitter, once known for getting his ya-yas out wearing diapers, threw a hissy fit for not getting his way, at Dulles Airport.
Both The Hill and Roll Call had the story, first, with Raw Story chiming in later:
According to an HOH tipster who witnessed the scene, the Louisiana Republican arrived Thursday evening at his United Airlines gate 20 minutes before the plane was scheduled to depart, only to find the gate had already been closed. Undeterred, Vitter opened the door, setting off a security alarm and prompting an airline worker to warn him that entering the gate was forbidden.
Vitter, our spy said, gave the airline worker an earful, employing the timeworn "do-you-know-who-I-am" tirade that apparently grew quite heated.
That led to some back and forth, and the worker announced to the irritable Vitter that he was going to summon security.
Vitter, according to the witness, remained defiant, yelling that the employee could call the police if he wanted to and their supervisors, who, presumably, might be more impressed with his Senator’s pin.
But after talking a huffy big game, Vitter apparently thought better of pushing the confrontation any further. When the gate attendant left to find a security guard, Vitter turned tail and simply fled the scene.
Naturally, Dems in Louisiana were hot on his trail when they heard, and dispatched a widely-distributed e-mail:
The Louisiana Democratic Party has Republican U.S. Senator David Vitter threw a temper tantrum in a Washington, D.C. airport, going as far as opening an armed security door and berating a United Airlines employee – because Vitter was late for his flight.
According to Roll Call and The Hill, Vitter set off a security alarm and "proceeded to dress down an airline employee who told him entering the restricted area was forbidden." Vitter delivered a "do-you-know-who-I-am tirade" that prompted the airline worker to summon security. Vitter remained defiant and continued yelling, then left the scene when the airline attendant went to get a security guard.
"David Vitter’s behavior continues to embarrass Louisiana," says Chris Whittington, chairman of the Louisiana Democratic Party. "It’s offensive that David Vitter thinks he deserves special treatment, and thinks it’s perfectly OK to berate an employee that was only doing their job."
Whittington says Vitter continues to be a black eye for Louisiana. "Vitter’s prostitution scandal, his partisan obstruction to President Obama’s economic recovery plan, and his lack of respect for airport security shows Vitter’s same lack of respect for the people of Louisiana."
When is this guy's seat up?
You would think that someone like Diaper Dave would have kept his head low, but getting into the fray about the Stimulus Bill just inflated his relative unimportance. That number about "don't you know who I am?" Even if he had been Teddy Kennedy, he still wouldn't have been able to get through.
Wherever she is now, D.C. Madam Deborah Palfrey must be laughing.