Semper Dishonestus?

I had the pleasure of interviewing Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal for a piece in ABC's "World News Tonught."

He was gracious and charming, well-spoken and very intelligent...too intelligent, by half.

It now comes that he may have been less than frank about his service in Viet Nam. (The New York Times 5/18/10)

Let me tell you one thing if you don't already know it. Someone who actually served in a war is someone to be respected and appreciated. They deserve our heartfelt gratitude.

I am no "hawk" by any stretch of the imagination but as Jack Nicholson's character, Colonel Jessop, famously says in "A Few Good Men", "You need me on that wall. You want me on that wall!" You bet I do...!

Soldiers put their lives on the line and are irrevocably changed by the experience of war.

I lived through the Viet Nam era. I didn't go, fortunately, but I've had friends who did...one in particular; a Marine Sargeant who served two tours near the DMZ. He was involved in unspeakable acts and has never been the same since his return in the late 60's. Thank you my friend.

War is horrible. War changes a person. War devastates families and countries and topographies like no other force of humankind.

War is no joke.

And when someone who asks for our support at the polls to go to Washington to take a seat of power in the decision-making process may have fudged his record of service during a war...he deserves our scorn and definitely not our votes.

Some other version of this story may come out but his own words seem to damn him. And his actions at the time.

I went to prep school and I knew way too many rich men's sons who played the "Daddy Card" to get out of everything...from failing grades to punishment for rules violations to service in Viet Nam.

Richard Blumenthal impressed me as being different...a cut above.

But it seems as though he may be just another one like all of the rest...especially like the one he hopes to replace...Mr. Dodd.

"Where have all the heroes gone? Long time passing. When will we ever learn? When will we ever learn?"

My apologies to Pete Seeger but you get the point.