Yesterday, CREW noted the double standard shown by Senate Republican leaders in the ethical controversies surrounding of Senators Vitter, Stevens and Craig.  Today's NY Daily News delves into that matter:

Following up on his call for an Ethics Committee investigation, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Craig had been stripped of his ranking status on three committees.

"This is not a decision we take lightly," McConnell (R-Ky.) said in a statement signed by four other GOP leadership members.

The Republican moves were aimed at limiting the fallout to Craig, even as gay rights and other watchdog groups turned the focus on other senators.

The Ethics Committee should also be investigating Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), who owned up last month to "a very serious sin in my past" involving a heterosexual escort service, said Matt Foreman, head of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

"Apparently, in the view of the Republican conference there is almost nothing more serious than a member attempting to engage in gay sex," said Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

Is there any other credible explanation?