Depends On What The Definition Of "In" Is
Don't you just love it when the sanctimonious get exposed? Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Attorney General and leading candidate to replace retiring Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd was just caught with his pants down by the New York Times.
Blumenthal, one of the all-time political opportunists, it turns out, has been making speeches and giving interviews for years where he proudly references his service IN Vietnam. Well, guess what? Blumenthal never served IN Vietnam; he served DURING Vietnam—in the Marine Reserve. He obtained at least five military deferments between 1965 and 1970 in order to avoid combat. In 1970, when it appeared the deferment string might run out, he was able to secure a prized spot in the Marine Corps Reserve; thereby dramatically reducing his chances of seeing action in Vietnam. In fact, he was able to remain stateside for his entire tour—working on local projects in Washington D.C.
What is most priceless about the whole affair was Blumenthal's non-apology—where he claimed to have simply misspoke a few times. Yep, the Harvard magna cum laude graduate; Phi Beta Kappa member; editorial chairman of the Harvard Crimson; Cambridge University fellowship awardee; Yale Law School graduate; editor-in-chief of the Yale Law Journal; and clerk for Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun apparently didn't understand the difference between "served in" and "served during" Vietnam, and never made an attempt to correct the record in the dozens of reports/publications that quoted his erroneous claim.
Politicians often ask us to swallow some real doozies (e.g. "I did not have sexual relations with that woman;" "I am not a crook;" "The hearings will be on CSPAN;" etc.). It's going to be pretty hard for the Connecticut electorate to choke this one down. A guy who made a living in a world where words have meaning and precision matters, now expects people to believe that the "mischaracterization", repeated time and again over many years, was just a mistake? Good luck.
Too bad Blumenthal wasn't as creative with his military account as he was when it came to shamelessly grandstanding and filing misguided and inappropriate lawsuits. He could have been a modern day Baron Munchausen, the German Baron who returned from war with tall tales of his adventures. "Munchausen reportedly told people that he'd traveled to the Moon, ridden cannonballs, and escaped from a swamp by pulling himself out by his own hair." If Blumenthal ends up winning the Senate seat, he may be able to regale us with his very own escape from a swamp by pulling himself out by his hair...you know, the short ones.
One think-tank, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, ranked Blumenthal the worst Attorney General in the country, largely for his "encroachment on the powers of other branches of government, meddling in the affairs of other states or federal agencies, encouragement of judicial activism and frivolous lawsuits, favoritism towards campaign contributors, ethical breaches, and failure to provide representation to state agencies or to provide legal advice." Other than that, he did a real swell job.
Whenever some high profile matter cropped up, you could always count on seeing Blumenthal's self-righteous mug on the news sounding off on how he was going to sue on behalf of the poor, aggrieved people of Connecticut.
It's often said inside the Beltway that the most dangerous place in the world is between Chuck Schumer and a camera. If so, a close second is between Richard Blumenthal and the courthouse where he files his politically-motivated lawsuits.
Now don't get me wrong; we've all told our little fibs and exaggerations. Hell, my mother, who perpetually disguised her age, actually claimed, for a period of time (I'm pretty sure) to be younger than me.
But, there is just something special about catching a guy who has always played the holier-than-thou card. The guy with all the answers. The Arnold Horshack of public service—always raising his hand and yelling "Ooh-ooh-ooooh!"
Early in his career, Blumenthal was hired as a reporter by Washington Post editor, Ben Bradlee (of Watergate fame).
How ironic that Blumenthal would turn out to be his own Deep Throat?
Blumenthal, one of the all-time political opportunists, it turns out, has been making speeches and giving interviews for years where he proudly references his service IN Vietnam. Well, guess what? Blumenthal never served IN Vietnam; he served DURING Vietnam—in the Marine Reserve. He obtained at least five military deferments between 1965 and 1970 in order to avoid combat. In 1970, when it appeared the deferment string might run out, he was able to secure a prized spot in the Marine Corps Reserve; thereby dramatically reducing his chances of seeing action in Vietnam. In fact, he was able to remain stateside for his entire tour—working on local projects in Washington D.C.
What is most priceless about the whole affair was Blumenthal's non-apology—where he claimed to have simply misspoke a few times. Yep, the Harvard magna cum laude graduate; Phi Beta Kappa member; editorial chairman of the Harvard Crimson; Cambridge University fellowship awardee; Yale Law School graduate; editor-in-chief of the Yale Law Journal; and clerk for Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun apparently didn't understand the difference between "served in" and "served during" Vietnam, and never made an attempt to correct the record in the dozens of reports/publications that quoted his erroneous claim.
Politicians often ask us to swallow some real doozies (e.g. "I did not have sexual relations with that woman;" "I am not a crook;" "The hearings will be on CSPAN;" etc.). It's going to be pretty hard for the Connecticut electorate to choke this one down. A guy who made a living in a world where words have meaning and precision matters, now expects people to believe that the "mischaracterization", repeated time and again over many years, was just a mistake? Good luck.
Too bad Blumenthal wasn't as creative with his military account as he was when it came to shamelessly grandstanding and filing misguided and inappropriate lawsuits. He could have been a modern day Baron Munchausen, the German Baron who returned from war with tall tales of his adventures. "Munchausen reportedly told people that he'd traveled to the Moon, ridden cannonballs, and escaped from a swamp by pulling himself out by his own hair." If Blumenthal ends up winning the Senate seat, he may be able to regale us with his very own escape from a swamp by pulling himself out by his hair...you know, the short ones.
One think-tank, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, ranked Blumenthal the worst Attorney General in the country, largely for his "encroachment on the powers of other branches of government, meddling in the affairs of other states or federal agencies, encouragement of judicial activism and frivolous lawsuits, favoritism towards campaign contributors, ethical breaches, and failure to provide representation to state agencies or to provide legal advice." Other than that, he did a real swell job.
Whenever some high profile matter cropped up, you could always count on seeing Blumenthal's self-righteous mug on the news sounding off on how he was going to sue on behalf of the poor, aggrieved people of Connecticut.
It's often said inside the Beltway that the most dangerous place in the world is between Chuck Schumer and a camera. If so, a close second is between Richard Blumenthal and the courthouse where he files his politically-motivated lawsuits.
Now don't get me wrong; we've all told our little fibs and exaggerations. Hell, my mother, who perpetually disguised her age, actually claimed, for a period of time (I'm pretty sure) to be younger than me.
But, there is just something special about catching a guy who has always played the holier-than-thou card. The guy with all the answers. The Arnold Horshack of public service—always raising his hand and yelling "Ooh-ooh-ooooh!"
Early in his career, Blumenthal was hired as a reporter by Washington Post editor, Ben Bradlee (of Watergate fame).
How ironic that Blumenthal would turn out to be his own Deep Throat?
Note to Dick Blumenthal, there is no shame in serving as a Marine Reservist.When you lie about how you served for political gain, you shame yourself and dishonor those who served IN combat IN Vietnam. As for the New York Times,a paper that lies about their circulation numbers, I would like to pose this question. If Blumenthal were a Republican would The Times have sat on this story till Late October? A phony paper outing a phony politician...priceless.
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Well stated. Maureen Dowd had an interesting take on the situation in today's column--that is until she turned it into another Bush/Cheney-bashing opportunity.
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