Louisiana Republican Senator David Vitter has a new fetish. Three years after Americans learned of Vitter's predilection for prostitutes and diapers, Senator Vitter has announced his support for Birther lawsuits challenging President Obama's eligibility to serve.

Vitter's apparent attempt at misdirection comes after a torrent of bad news for the one-time family values merchant turned DC Madam regular. After allegations that he kept aide Brent Furer on his staff despite an outstanding warrant for his arrest on a DUI charge and, worse still, a report that he attacked his ex-girlfriend with a knife two years ago. Even more egregious, Furer was Vitter's apparent point man on women's issues. (Unsurprisingly, leading conservative women's groups have remained silent on Vitter, as have Sarah Palin and her new wave of "pro-life feminists" so highly touted on the right.) And now, Vitter has a Republican challenger in the upcoming Louisiana primary.

So, finding the truth was not setting him free, Vitter at a town hall meeting threw his weight behind right-wing lawsuits concerning "Mr. Obama's refusal to produce a valid birth certificate." Like buying extra large Huggies in bulk at Walmart, Vitter said that's a "valid" course of action:

"I know all the information I've been able to get my hands on through the media. But obviously with the mainstream media as a filter, that's not a whole lot. I personally don't have standing to bring litigation in court. But I support conservative legal organizations and others who would bring that to court. I think that is the valid and most possibly effective grounds to do it."

Despite the fact that the Birthers' claim is demonstrably false, polls from PPP, Harris and ABC (among others) confirm that majorities of Republicans are unsure if Barack Obama was born in the United States. And on Sunday, David Vitter gave the myth-makers aid and comfort, if not a diaper.

(This piece also appears at Perrspectives.)