The president of the Christian conservative Family Policy Network has
sent Sen. David Vitter (R., La.) a letter calling on him to follow the
lead of former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D., N.Y.) and resign rather than
leave Republicans and conservatives open to charges of hypocrisy.

Vitter
admitted to a "serious sin" in 2007 after his phone number was found in
the 2001 client records of a D.C. madam, when he was a member of the
House.

"There are a lot of people that I think are committing
outright hypocrisy and are forced to do so as long as he [Vitter]
remains in office," said Joe Glover, the president of the Family Policy
Network, based in Forest, Virginia. "I don't think the senator should
put those folks in the untenable position of having to pragmatically
defend his presence in the Senate."

Vitter's office had no immediate comment on Glover's June 20 letter.

In
an article posted June 21 on the group's website, policy analyst
Alexander Mason writes that "the public's perception of Vitter as a
sleazy, hypocritical Christian only served to tarnish the name of Christ
among unbelievers."

The Family Policy Network is probably best
known for confronting attendees at gay pride events with, as they put it
on their website, "the truth that Jesus Christ can set them free from
homosexuality" through the network's "Hope for Homosexuals" project. 
—RNS