2010 Elections: Souder Resigns Over Affair; Blumenthal Endangered by War Lie

As the 2010 congressional campaign goes into full swing, news is bustin’ out all over this morning. And, no, I’m not talking about today’s potentially game-changing primary races in Kentucky, Arkansas and Pennsylvania. Try Connecticut and Indiana, where two solid candidates — Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal and House candidate Mark Souder — have just been knocked off their own stools by the force of their own dishonesty.

In Connecticut, the Democrat’s sure thing for keeping retiring Sen. Christopher Dodd’s seat in Dem hands has been caught lying about having served in Viet Nam. State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, reports the New York Times, has given conflicting accounts of his six months in the Viet Nam-era Marine Corps Reserves, having told a Norwalk group that he had served in Viet Nam. Actually, it seems that after receiving five deferments, Blumenthal joined the reserves as a way of staying out of the war. He served in Washington, D.C., fixing playground equipment.

From the Times:

The deferments allowed Mr. Blumenthal to complete his studies atHarvard; pursue a graduate fellowship in England; serve as a special assistant to The Washington Post’s publisher, Katharine Graham; and ultimately take a job in the Nixon White House.

In 1970, with his last deferment in jeopardy, he landed a coveted spot in the Marine Reserve, which virtually guaranteed that he would not be sent to Vietnam. He joined a unit in Washington that conducted drills and other exercises and focused on local projects, like fixing a campground and organizing a Toys for Tots drive.

Then there’s Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind., who will resign his seat, according to Fox News, because he’s been discovered to be having an affair with an aide. Souder is one of those family-values guys who just can’t keep his hands off the forbidden fruit. He just won a contested primary for his seat.

From Fox News:

Multiple senior House sources indicated that the extent of the affair with the 45-year-old staffer would have landed Souder before the House Ethics Committee.

One thing about this year’s races — you can’t say they’re boring.

Posted in: News