David Brooks: Richard Blumenthal 'Accidentally' Said He Was a Combat Veteran

NewsBusters ^ | May 20, 2010 | P.J. Gladnick

[Forty-Niner]

“Murtha served in Vietnam and was awarded a Bronze star and two Purple Hearts.”

The Bronze Star is an officers “show up” medal.....every officer in a war zone gets one. It only has signifance if it has a “V” for Combat Valor attached......

Only two Hearts? Heck, John Kerry got 3 in as many months and got to rotate out under the “3 heart” rule......(which was the whole point of all those scratches.)

How did Murtha get a heart, much less two, riding a S2 desk in VN?.....Bet you that every time a motar came close to either his office, or hootch, he was off to see the Corpsman to get his cut tended to, bandaged, and collect his “Heart.”

There is every indication that Murtha was in VN solely to get his political ticket punched......Honorable? Well...OK.....

[behzinlea]

Brooks employs a number of common rhetorical devices including "litotes," understatement and even ridicule

Brooks has only himself to blame if conservatives can no longer tell whether he's resorting to "'litotes,' understatment, [or] even ridicule." They're so accustomed to hearing him insult conservatives, his defense of Blumenthal sounds like any other note sung from the same sheet of music.

[Jack Hydrazine]

Since he is a Marine turned politician its possible he accidentally might have found himself a vet of WWWII and even at the first landing of Marines on the shores of Tripoli waaaaay back in the old days to fight the Muzzies.

[Hoodat]

""When we returned from Vietnam, I remember the taunts, the verbal and even physical abuse we encountered."

Richard Blumenthal - 18 May 2009

[Hoodat]

Kerry really was in Vietnam, and probably also in Cambodia. It seems likely to me that he confused Tet with Christmas in his mind and wound up sounding like a pathological liar.

If he was talking about Tet, then he is even a bigger liar. The Tet Offensive also occurred during LBJ's tenure and a full 11 months BEFORE his Christmas story. Either way, Nixon wasn't President.

[r9etb]

Brooks has only himself to blame if conservatives can no longer tell whether he's resorting to "'litotes,' understatment, [or] even ridicule." They're so accustomed to hearing him insult conservatives, his defense of Blumenthal sounds like any other note sung from the same sheet of music.

Oh, pooh. If it went over your head, that's your fault for not seeing an obvious jab.

I've noticed that a lot of folks on FR have begun using "elitist" as an insult.

I think the definition of "elitist" in that context must be something along the following lines. "An elitist says things that I don't understand, and which test my comfortable assumptions."

[Repeat Offender]

Yeah. My original post was a joke comparing Blumenthal to Hillary to Kerry. Another poster tried to jump in and defend Kerry (the part you quoted was his).

I was trying to expeditiously demonstrate Kerry was a liar and hence his inclusion in my sarcasm. The other poster was trying to give Kerry a pass by saying Jean F'n Kerry may have just been confused over "Tet" and "Christmas."

I no longer find my sarcsm as humorous after having to explain it to the slow.

[Rdev]

Do you know the circumstances of his medals? He, like Mr. Kerry, never served a day in any hospital during his tour. In fact, about a year after he returned home, he was working as an aid for the Congressman he would replace, that congressman planned to retire and suddenly Mr. Murtha contacted the Defense department to say something like, "Hey, I remember I was wounded twice during my tour!. When do I get my medals"? He's gone and I don't like bringing this up, but don't start bragging about his service medals. He served and anyone should respect that. To go beyond that gets into Mr. Kerry territory.

[Mr. Lucky]

Jeez, the guy really was a creep.

[Hoodat]

Yeah, I gathered that. Since you had already responded to the original, I felt obliged to copy you on my response to the original. I should have clicked ‘reply’ to that post instead of yours. My bad.

[PJ-Comix]

Hmmm... Well, I might need to hear a recording of this conversation. In writing hard to tell if there is sarcasm but Brooks does seem to say the lie here is no big deal.

[Repeat Offender]

No worries.

[Political Junkie Too]

The claim is dishonorable, but everybody expects politicians to lie.

People expect politicians to lie about the virtues of legislation they voted on.

They don't expect politicians to lie about their resumes.

They don't expect politicians to lie about their taxes.

They don't expect politicians to lie about their relations with donors, benefactors, lobbyists, etc.

Is Brooks sanctioning politicians lying about hiding kick-backs from lobbyists in secret off-shore accounts?

Is Brooks sanctioning saying anything to win an election?

-PJ

[wardaddy]

Brooks is as worthless as tits on a boar

[behzinlea]

Brooks is not even a decent writer.

[r9etb]

Brooks is not even a decent writer.

Tell it to the folks who pay him six figures.

[Froggie]

Yes, I saw Cavuto making excuses for the lying as no big deal. Since Clinton, honor and integrity amongst politicians no longer matters to some, I guess.

[devere]

“If he was talking about Tet, then he is even a bigger liar. The Tet Offensive also occurred during LBJ’s tenure and a full 11 months BEFORE his Christmas story. Either way, Nixon wasn’t President.”

Kerry talked about hearing the Christmas celebrating when Nixon sent him into Cambodia in 1968. Of course Nixon wasn’t President until January 20, 1969, and I for one wrote Kerry off as a pathological liar (to say nothing of a Liberal!). There was another Tet offensive in February 1969, and Nixon did retaliate inside Cambodia. It seems most likely to me that Kerry had a faulty memory and confused Christmas 1968 with Tet 1969; and that may have cost him the Presidency. Perhaps it was poetic justice for all the terrible things he said about his fellow American soldiers.