The harder Connecticut Attorney General and Democratic Senate Candidate Richard Blumenthal tries to spin his way out of trouble, the further down he seems to screw himself into the ground. In the wake of his being exposed for lying about his military service "in Vietnam", no explanation he gives seems to be working for him.

Continued...

Proving the blatantly false statement made by Blumenthal in the now-viral video was not an isolated incident or what he tried to explain away as "misplaced words," Hearst Connecticut Newspapers recently released the following additional misplacements from their archives:

"I wore the uniform in Vietnam and many came back & to all kinds of disrespect. Whatever we think of war, we owe the men and women of the armed forces our unconditional support." - Richard Blumenthal speaking at the Stamford Veterans Days parade, November 9, 2008

"When we returned from Vietnam, I remember the taunts, the verbal and even physical abuse we encountered." - Richard Blumenthal speaking at a military board tribute to veterans in Shelton, May 18, 2009

A year later at a Stratford Memorial Day event, Mr. Blumenthal dropped the "we" reference but didn't go out of his way to say that he never went to Vietnam. "I am called general all the time in my role, but the highest rank I will ever have in life is as a sergeant in the United States Marines," said Blumenthal, who went on to comment how tough it was for veterans of the unpopular conflict to return to "taunts and jeers." (source)

In his ineffective news conference held the day after his lie was exposed, the candidate claimed he could not track all the news reports about him and that is why he hadn't contacted the various media outlets to correct his "misplaced words." But Mr. Blumenthal is known to pore over press clips and call reporters to clarify or correct points. (source) According to a recent editorial in the New London Day, "This newspaper knows from experience that Mr. Blumenthal is quick to correct unflattering statements published about him or to refute opinions with which he disagrees. One reporter got a call from the attorney general for inserting a middle initial in his name. He has none." (source)

Of course the most important part of this scandal is what effect it will have on Mr. Blumenthal's chances of keeping the seat being vacated by Senator Christopher Dodd (D-Connecticut) in Democratic hands. According to the most recent poll, the Democrat's once healthy lead has hit record lows - he currently leads his closest Republican challenger by just 3 points (48% to 45%). That's a 10 point drop from before his shameful lies were exposed. (source)