Dem. Senate Candidate in CT Falsely Claimed He Served in Vietnam

The New York Times reports that Connecticut Senate candidate Dick "Coakley in Pants" Blumenthal has lied about serving in Vietnam:

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 who is 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.

Blumenthal's defense? "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," says Blumenthal's campaign manager. "He received no special treatment from anyone." 

Sorry, but Blumenthal said "I served in Vietnam," not "I served in South Carolina during the Vietnam war." Big difference.

Left-wing blogger Nate Silver says Blumenthal must go, but Connecticut Democrats will have to get their act together quickly if they want a new candidate. The filing deadline to run for U.S. Senate in Connecticut is May 25.