Candidate’s Words on Vietnam Service Differ From History

[WestVirginiaRebel]

NY Times:

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.
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I'm sure CBS will be the first to ask for his National Guard records...

[SrWoodchuck]

WVR, thanks for the post.

 

Having never served, I feel I have no voice to condemn. Veterans do have a program called "Stolen Glory" I think, and they actively prosecute people for claiming Medals rewarded in service of the country; that people have lied about. I'll leave it to them.

[Argyle58]

I didn't serve, either, being 4F, but have the utmost respect for those who have. However, those who claimed to have served when they did not, especially those who do so for political gain, are just plain low.

[Geee]

Blumenthal misdirects over Vietnam lies

By: DAVID FREDDOSO

Online Opinion Editor

05/18/10 2:35 PM EDT

 

"Unlike many of my peers, I chose to join the military and serve my country," said Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, D. Glossing over lies he told on tape about his own Vietnam service, Blumenthal said he "misspoke," and used "a few misplaced words" when he described his own service. "I was unaware of my misplaced words when they were spoken...I apologize if I misspoke."

 

(I sympathize -- I made the same mistake all the time when I was in Vietnam.)

 

Blumenthal spoke as though he were really under attack not for lying, but for joining as a reservist. "There was no certainty," he said, about where he would be sent after he joined the Reserves. Blumenthal served in a unit in Washington, D.C.

 

Blumenthal was asked about several newspaper articles that described him as a Vietnam vet, which he did nothing to correct. Speaking like an attorney constructing an argument in the alternative, Blumenthal said: "I may not even have seen them."

 

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Blumenthal-engages-in-misdirection-over-his-Vietnam-lies-94178409.html

[NCTexan]

"When I fought in the Peloponnesian War..."

 

"Now that you caught me, let me say that I misspoke. What I meant was that I once read a book about Sparta in Junior High School."

[SrWoodchuck]

Democratic Translation Machine

 

Democrat Phrase: ".....in regards to my remarks.....I mispoke....."

 

Actual Meaning: "I lied, you caught me....this is my do-over."