http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/18/nyregion/18blumenthal.html Candidate’s Words on Vietnam Service Differ From History At a ceremony honoring veterans and senior citizens who sent presents to soldiers overseas, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal of 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. Many politicians have faced questions over their decisions during the Vietnam War, and Mr. Blumenthal, who is seeking the seat being vacated by Senator Christopher J. Dodd, is not alone in staying out of the war. But what is striking about Mr. Blumenthal’s record is the contrast between the many steps he took that allowed him to avoid Vietnam, and the misleading way he often speaks about that period of his life now, especially when he is speaking at veterans’ ceremonies or other patriotic events.
I wish I could say I'm surprised, but nothing surprises me any more with those people. What a fucking disgrace. He should apologize to everyone who served rather than trying to dodge the draft. CT is still overall a left-leaning state, so I still suspect Blumenthal will win, but he's certainly lost the veteran vote.
Blumenthal is now saying he "mispoke on several occasions" regarding his military service. What a jackhole; just admit you lied and apologize like a man.
I mean come on guys, the guy just forgot. He only went to Harvard, what kind of moron goes to Harvard. This man should never hold public office.
There have been several people who have lied about their military record. I'd never vote for one who did.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/...-shore-congressman-intelligence-officer-award Kirk, who joined the Naval Reserve in 1989, has repeatedly described the honor as an individual award from the Navy for his actions during the war in Kosovo, known as Operation Allied Force. But late last week, amid media inquiries to the Navy, Kirk corrected his resume to show he actually received a different award. That citation, the Vice Admiral Rufus L. Taylor Award, was given to his unit while it was in Italy. Navy officers make the nominations for the award, which is given by a professional organization known as the National Military Intelligence Association. In an e-mail to supporters Sunday, Kirk said: "The error was discovered last week by my staff. Going through my Fitness Reports for 1999/2000, we recognized that referring to an award as 'Intelligence Officer of the Year' was not precise."
If I may play devil's advocate... Why does this particular type of lie elicit such an emotional response? Is there a huge difference between this and lying on your resume? If so, what? Why is falsely claiming military service any more reprehensible than falsely claiming a double-major or intentionally embellishing your title and responsibilities from a previous job? Or for a politician, is this any worse than lying about your voting record? And again, if so--why?
(Naively)...Aren't all of those other things pretty reprehensible, too? Ask George O'Leary about whether or not "embellishing" a resume is bad. Maybe this is something to me like pot use---I think it's really bad, meanwhile it seems everyone's doing it.
