Connecticut Attorney General Lied About Serving in Vietnam

Gotta give credit where credit is due- a May 17th New York Times article says that CT Attorney General Dick Blumenthal received no less than five deferments between 1965-1970 and had never served in Vietnam. Instead, Blumenthal served for six years in the Marine Reserves but at times has told audiences that he did in fact serve in Vietnam.

“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.”

A combative Blumenthal shot back in a press conference held in the W. Hartford, CT VFW Hall earlier today.

"On a few occasions, I have misspoken about my service, and I regret that... [but] I will not allow anyone to take a few misplaced words and impugn my record of service to my country. I served in the United States Marine Corps Reserves, and I am proud of it.''

[Y'know, Dick, I don't like it when somebody tries to impugn my record of service in the US Army, but I usually try and avoid that by NOT fudging my service record- NANESB!].

Blumenthal is running to fill the senate seat that will be vacated by Chris Dodd upon his retirement this year.

GOP Senate Candidate and (apparently real) Vietnam Vet Rob Simmons was unimpressed with Blumenthal's apology and issued a statement earlier today.

"I am unsatisfied with Attorney General Blumenthal's comments. While I'm not surprised that he 'regrets' that his misstatements have been called to the public's attention, what he owes is an apology to the veterans, who served and sacrificed in Vietnam."

Truth be told, I wasn't going to make that big a deal out of it until I caught some of Blumethal's petulant, defiant, almost non-apology 'apology' on the news earlier today. It seemed to come off more as 'Yeah, I lied....whaddaya gonna do about it?'

The sad part is that this will hardly cost Blumenthal at the polls in New York's de-facto sixth borough a blue state like Connecticut.