Yesterday, CREW posed a question:  If Spitzer's contributions are an issue, shouldn't Vitter's be, too?:

In light of the National Republican Congressional Committee’s call for candidates and members of Congress to return soon-to-be former Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s (D) donations, CREW wonders why members and the National Republican Senatorial Committee have not returned Sen. David Vitter’s (R-LA) contributions. As widely reported, Sen. Vitter has solicited prostitutes in the past. Rather than being condemned and ostracized, Sen. Vitter received "thunderous applause" at a Republican Caucus luncheon after his transgressions became public.

Mary Ann Akers, a.k.a. the Sleuth at the Washington Post asked the question a different way (Whose money is dirtier, Client No. 9's or Vitter's?) and went to Capitol HIll to find out. There was no answer from those who brought up this issue in the first place: 

One GOP member who took Vitter cash, retiring eight-term Rep. Deborah Pryce (R-Ohio), tells CREW: fuhgeddaboutit!

"No, we're not giving the money back," Pryce spokesman Rob Nichols told us. "We spent it a long time ago."

Nor does the NRSC plan to return a $25,000 contribution it received from Vitter in the '06 cycle, according to NRSC spokeswoman Rebecca Fisher, who didn't elaborate.

Meanwhile, the NRCC's counterpart and political nemesis, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, is jumping on the hypocrisy bandwagon, too.

"There is certainly no shortage of hypocrisy in the Republican Party," says DCCC spokesman Doug Thornell, who finds the NRCC's crusade against "sleazy" Spitzer money laughable in light of GOP scandals.

"Between the former members wearing orange jumpsuits and the current members under indictment or criminal investigations you could fill a New York City subway car," Thornell groans.

NRCC spokesman Ken Spain says CREW is all but a front for the Democratic Party. "This is the very same Democrat-leaning organization that admitted just one day before that Governor Spitzer's alleged crime is 'more serious' and will likely amount to 'one or more felonies.' We take them at their word and agree with them wholeheartedly."

Though Spain still didn't tell us what makes Republicans think Spitzer's hooker money is any dirtier than Vitter's.