Weasel Richard Blumenthal the Attorney General for Connecticut is currently running to fill Chris Dodd’s senate seat. Up until now, his winning that seat was looking like a fait accompli. That is until The New York Times (yes, can you believe it, the New York Times) did a little fact checking. It turns out Mr. Blumenthal has been embellishing his military service.
The New York Times: At a ceremony honoring veterans and senior citizens who sent presents to soldiers overseas, Attorney General Richard Blumenthalof Connecticut rose and spoke of an earlier time in his life.
“We have learned something important since the days that I served in Vietnam,” Mr. Blumenthal said to the group gathered in Norwalk in March 2008. “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, a Democrat now running for the United States Senate, 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.
The deferments allowed Mr. Blumenthal to complete his studies at Harvard; pursue a graduate fellowship in England; serve as a special assistant to The Washington Post’s publisher, Katharine Graham; and ultimately take a job in the Nixon White House.
In 1970, with his last deferment in jeopardy, he landed a coveted spot in the Marine Reserve, which virtually guaranteed that he would not be sent to Vietnam. He joined a unit in Washington that conducted drills and other exercises and focused on local projects, like fixing a campground and organizing a Toys for Tots drive.
Here is the video of Mr. Blumenthal in action:
And here are his 5 deferments:
Click image to enlarge
This is not the only example. Read though the Times story and you will find that Blumenthal had habit of leaving audiences with the impression that he was actually over in ‘Nam.
So what does Mr. Blumenthal have to say about all of this?
Hot Air: “The New York Times story is an outrageous distortion of Dick Blumenthal’s record of service,” Blumenthal’s campaign manager, Mindy Myers, said in a statement.
“Unlike many of his peers, Dick Blumenthal voluntarily joined the Marine Corps Reserves in 1970 and served for six months in Parris Island, SC and six years in the reserves. He received no special treatment from anyone.”
Previewing a campaign event tomorrow, Myers wrote that “Dick has a long record of standing up for veterans. Tomorrow, veterans will be standing up with Dick.”
Blumenthal will hold a news conference tomorrow. He will be flanked by veterans.
I certainly hope none of those veterans show up. They should leave this weasel to twist in the wind all by himself.
I think this guy is toast for two reasons. First, his likely Republican challenger has a real military record:
Rob[Simmons]'s public service career began when he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1965 as a Private, and spent 19 months in Vietnam where he earned two Bronze Star Medals. Rob continued his military service in the U.S. Army Reserve as a Military Intelligence Officer, retiring as a Colonel in 2003 with over 37 years of active and reserve service.
Second, the public has little appetite for politics as usually this election cycle and nothing says politics as usual like a lying politician. I expect this story to blossom into a full blown crap storm and Blumenthal to be replaced by another Democrat.
By the way, if you were a regular Glenn Beck watcher last year, you would have seen Beck expose Blumenthal’s inner weasel. For those of you who missed it, here is the replay.
Via: Memeorandum
Via: The New York Times
Video h/t: Legal Insurrection
Via: Hot Air