This is terrible. I'm a Democrat but I hope he loses. http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/05/17/blumenthal_invents_a_war_record.html Blumenthal Invents a War Record At a ceremony honoring military veterans, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal (D), who is running for U.S. Senate, recalled his own service, the New York Times reports. Said Blumenthal: "We have learned something important since the days that I served in Vietnam. And you exemplify it. Whatever we think about the war, whatever we call it -- Afghanistan or Iraq -- we owe our military men and women unconditional support." "There was one problem: Mr. Blumenthal... never served in Vietnam. He obtained at least five military deferments from 1965 to 1970 and took repeated steps that enabled him to avoid going to war, according to records." Ben Smith: "That Connecticut Senate seat just got less safe for Democrats." Blumenthal is expected to be nominated at the Connecticut Democratic convention on Friday. Read more: http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/05/17/blumenthal_invents_a_war_record.html#ixzz0oFotLA8r
Give the guy a break, he did receive deferments from '65-'70, maybe he is just suffering from party-induced PTSD.
So he doesn't yet have the nomination? Then is there even the slightest chance the delegates can unite and say, "Sorry, but we thought we were voting for an honest man. So we're going to abstain, or change our votes, or do something else to keep your sorry ass off the ticket." Not possible? It's a freakin' senate seat we're talking about here! I wouldn't hand that to a Republican if it can be avoided somehow.
Reading a little more, I'm not sure he's lying in the traditional sense as much as he's mentally ill in some fashion... it seems in other comments he's skated up against saying he served in Nam and still in others, including on TV, he's denied he served in Nam. There doesn't seem to be a clear pattern of anything except confusion. Regardless, either interpretation, whether it be calculating liar or hazy idea of reality, should disqualify him from holding office.
maybe he was a 'server' at a restaurant during vietnam war? its been 10 years since i waited tables and i still have nightmares about being in the weeds - PTSD yo! give the guy a break - serving can be quite traumatic.
Yeah, my initial reaction was that he was a moron that hopefully doesn't get the nomination (Nate Silver at fivethirtyeight indicated that the Democrats can still have somebody else well-qualified get into the race if they wanted). But after reading a little more I'm not sure it's so cut and dried. It sees that he has made it clear that he didn't serve in Vietnam before this, so it's not like it's a lie he has been perpetuating. It's seems rather like it's something that he doesn't always go out of his way to make clear. I'm not sure if that's a really good excuse, but it's better than lying.
Batman Jones at it again - another unprovoked attack on the fine men and women who have chosen to serve our country.
