Vitter, Melancon trade shots over drilling halt

Democrats are furious with Louisiana Sen. David Vitter (R) over his claim that Rep. Charlie Melancon (D-La.) supports President Barack Obama's six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling.

"Charlie Melancon's support for President Obama's offshore moratorium will kill Louisiana jobs," Vitter wrote in a recent e-mail to supporters. "Melancon has endorsed Obama's moratorium in numerous interviews and repeatedly makes the point that he thinks offshore rigs are 'toys,' not jobs."

Vitter's message called for the president to lift the moratorium. His campaign has consistently sought to tie his Senate challenger to Obama, who is unpopular in Louisiana.

The Melancon camp said Vitter was "lying" about Melancon's position.

"Charlie Melancon couldn't be any clearer: he opposes the President's moratorium on offshore drilling," Jeff Giertz, a spokesman for Melancon, said in an e-mail. "David Vitter's just trying to distract attention from his efforts to bail out BP by lying about Charlie's record — Vitter's lied to Louisiana once, and he'll lie again."