The Evolution of Richard Blumenthal

Apparently, Richard Blumenthal’s Icarus-like plunge was a long time coming…

“Former Representative Christopher Shays of Connecticut, a Republican who says he is a good friend of Richard Blumenthal’s, said in an interview Tuesday that he had watched with worry as Mr. Blumenthal gradually embellished his military record over the years.

As prominent Democrats in the state rallied to Mr. Blumenthal’s side on Tuesday, saying they had never seen him describe himself as a Vietnam veteran or chalking such misstatements up to a momentary lapse, Mr. Shays’s comments appeared to bolster the idea that Mr. Blumenthal’s descriptions of his military record had been somewhat embroidered, bit by bit, with the passage of time.”

Given an inch, Richard Blumenthal took another… and then another… and yet more.

You might call it “mission creep,” with the ‘mission’ being the getting Richard Blumenthal elected and re-elected over the years.

“Mr. Shays said he grew uncomfortable only last month, when he and Mr. Blumenthal attended a memorial for survivors of a building collapse in Bridgeport in 1987, and Mr. Blumenthal again brought up the Vietnam War. “He didn’t say he was there; he said, ‘when we came home’ and talked about soldiers being spat upon,” Mr. Shays said. “The inference was that he was in Vietnam.”

Mr. Shays said that he thought someone might eventually check Mr. Blumenthal’s record and find that he was in Vietnam, but in a desk job.

“If he’d stuck with what he said 30 or 20 years ago, he wouldn’t be in the trouble he’s in now,” Mr. Shays said. “He was a Marine. Nobody can take that away from him, but he never tried to play it up other than to say that he was a Marine.””

The problem is not that Mr. Blumenthal served in the reserves.  It is that he lied about serving in Vietnam, presumably for political advantage.

UPDATE (Jim) : Here’s Bloomenthal answering the Shays allegations.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsxP1rqZ7Z4

I speak repeatedly about my service during the Vietnam era to highlight that we dishonored and disrespected our military men women and veterans during that period… we have learned an important lesson during those years and it’s a lesson that I highlight again and again and again and mention my own service as a means of doing it that we owe our men and women of the military unconditional support.

Of course, he never answered the question and never responded to Shays. Instead he chose behind a message that is a little more than ironic. He lied about his service to lecture us on honoring people who serve. Too much.

Posted in

Dave in EH

16 Comments

  1. jc on May 18, 2010 at 4:47 pm

    I think this whole Blumenthal military story iseven more of an indictment of our local news media and underscores thier deifying treatment of Blumenthal.  In fact would the Times have even run with this issue if it was not spoon fed to them?  Let's see if the mighty Courant smells the blood in the water and runs this issue (and others ie. his sweetheart deals for his former law partners or Erskin Bowles free pass) everyday for next 3 months like they did with Rowland!  I bet not because there is no one more in love with Blumenthal and his daily press conferences then the Courant!



  2. donh on May 18, 2010 at 6:18 pm

    Mr Blumenthal has to resign. This embarassing lie is a  national story. What will America think of CT , our people, if we  elect a man who stole valor ? We cannot afford to offend the  people working in armed services. Our economy is on the skids and we depend on tourism to places like Casinos. Las Vegas looks a lot better today as a destination for military on R&R. That being said I am also disturbed by how this went down. You rarely see the left and the right talking from the same page of points . The news broke from a far left paper with far left talkers joining the right in the public condemnation. Why didn't the Democrats keep up appearances, have a talk with Mr. Blumethal , get him to correct his word rather than sand bag him? It's not like democrats  to cut bait on a sinner. I am very concerned that this is more of the chilling anti semitism coming out of the Obama administration. Every day the democrat party grows more pro Islamic, anti Israel ….blame the greedy jewish bankers for all the wars and problems of the world.



  3. floorguy on May 19, 2010 at 1:54 am

    Blumenthal should not be allowed to remain in his current position and for dishonesty he should be brought before the Bar Association.  He lied on numerous occasions and does not have the integrity to  admit that he lied.  Rather he attempts to dodge the fatal bullets saying that he "misspoke".. He further compounds the situation when he stated that he will not let anybody" impugn his record".  His record as attorney general was exemplary–but it is not his record that was revealed to be fatally flawed but his integrity and character.



  4. chris-os on May 19, 2010 at 2:04 am

    This story was  leaked to the NY Times by Linda McMahon, a veritable model of  honesty and morality!

    He did "mis-speak" once. He often said (as in the debate)  that he was not in Vietnam. He did serve during that time. Don't know what he was thinking-the fact that he was a marine does suffice.

    He should bow out?

    You want embarrassing?

    Embarrassing would be a senator from Connecticut that came between a federal investigation of drug use in her organization and has produced programming that simulated rape and necrophilia.

    Yeah, that would be embarrassing.

     



    • donh on May 19, 2010 at 2:33 am

      This has the modus operandi finger prints of Davis Axelrod all over it. Plus the WhiteHouse Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel just met with a group of Rabbi May 14th. This "leak" is Obama's response to being read the rabbi riot act.



    • Wyndeward on May 19, 2010 at 2:55 am

      He mis-spoke on several occasions.  He was content to allow biographical profiles to perpetuate the fiction that he served in Vietnam.  Even when addressing the issue of his falsehoods, he chose to create the straw-man that it was his service that was being impugned, rather than his integrity.



    • floorguy on May 19, 2010 at 5:09 am

      He is a phony–not that I ever agree with Limbaugh, but I agree with his characterization that Blumenthal is "undertakerish"–may he should try that profession for his next career.



  5. gillie28 on May 19, 2010 at 3:13 am

    Don Imus called Blumie a "lying weasel" and says he needs to resign – kind of sums it up!!!



    • floorguy on May 19, 2010 at 5:10 am

      amen…



  6. ctmac64 on May 19, 2010 at 3:18 am

    This will come back to haunt Linda McMahon. I thought she said it was time for "something different." This political maneuvering is really just the same old thing.

    http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/



    • Wyndeward on May 19, 2010 at 5:30 am

      Even his defender at the Atlantic clearly states that Blumenthal, while perhaps not "lying" in the very strictest sense of the word, did mislead…

      "Blumenthal is correct that no one can control the articles that are printed about him. But surely this is a misdirection. Ambitious politicians have teams of communications professionals devoted to shaping, manipulating and repairing their public images. It is undoubtedly clear that Blumenthal sought out the identity of a Vietnam veteran, wrapped himself in that cloak, and used it to perpetuate his power. Even if he did not intend to mislead voters about his service, it is incumbent upon him to make sure that he did not use his position to perpetuate a myth that enhanced said power. To me, that DOES make him responsible for being accurate about his service record and going out of his way to correct the perceptional."



    • GdavidH on May 19, 2010 at 5:57 am

      Typical lefty response… Kill the messenger. Blumie is a liar in the simplest form. the word twisting and turning will not wash away the lie.  If he truly was "unaware" with all his talent with words, don't you think we should question his qualifications? Say what you mean, and mean what you say. If you make a mistake, suck it up and apologize and say it will not happen again. Don't push the blame away and attempt to "impugn" those who expose the wrong doing.



    • scruffycat on May 19, 2010 at 12:52 pm

      Amen! The story could not have been "spoon fed" to the NY Times if Blumenthal had told the truth. If he hadn't mispoke (cough cough) there wouldn't be any story-It is a consequence of his actions. If I tell the truth no one can expose me as a liar, because there will be no evidence. He will and should resign.



  7. Dimsdale on May 19, 2010 at 6:55 am

    The devolution of Tricky Dick Blumenthal, you mean.  Any plausible deniability that he hoped to squeeze out of the words "misspoke" are as ethereal as the "regret" and "responsibility" he purports to feel.

     

    Apply the test: if this were a Republican (or "worse", Bush!), how would this story be pursued?  I think you know the answer….



    • chris-os on May 19, 2010 at 7:51 am

      How would this story be pursued if it was Bush??

      Apparently the fact that Bush actually went AWOL  with 2 years of duty left in the national guard-and he was mysteriously suspended from flying- was not pursued, or you would surely have heard of it.



    • Wyndeward on May 19, 2010 at 7:58 am

      Lesee… Gunga Dan,  the Sixty Minutes crew and "fake but accurate" documents…

      How soon they conveniently forget.



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