The Pulitizer-prize winning PolitiFact.com has outed another politician attempting to mislead some constituents into believing he served as a Marine IN VIETNAM, just like Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal.
In its column today, PolitiFact hones in on the “tough-talking, cowboy-hat-wearing, rifle-toting Dale Peterson, who is running in the Republican primary to be Alabama’s agriculture commissioner.”
“I’ve been a farmer, a businessman, a cop, a Marine during Vietnam, so listen up!” Peterson barked in his campaign ad, the column says.
“It’s the phrase “during Vietnam” that jumped out, especially in light of the New York Times last week calling out Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate, for saying that he served in Vietnam and “during the Vietnam era” when in fact he actually received five military deferments before enlisting in the Marine Reserve, enabling him to avoid combat overseas.”
Two things of interest:
Many in the Connecticut media continue to falsely report that Blumenthal has apologized for MISSTATING he served in Vietnam. Blumenthal HAS NOT. He has only apologized for MISSPEAKING. Big difference my friends in the fourth estate.
Second, what will Blumenthal and Peterson be doing this Memorial Day? My guess is that they will be in hiding.
Just in: a report from a reporter who used to cover Blumenthal, you find Teri Buhl’s account interesting.
Buhl is not a big fan of Blumenthal’s. Here is another of her columns worth reading.
Peterson is “getting flak” huh? For what? Saying what everyone who serviced “during” Nam says?
This is nothing but a hit piece.
Your title leads one to believe that Dale claims to have served in Vietnam when he actually didn’t. Dale has never claimed to have served there.
He actually enlisted in the Marine Corps and served where he was asked to and didn’t get any deferments.
“attempting to mislead”? Nope, sorry but he just stated a fact.
No need to guess anymore, Dale will be remembering some of his comrades that didn’t come back and will be spending time with folks from all over Alabama.
He was out on 280 yesterday and got plenty of support. At one point Dale was a long shot, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he won his race without a runoff.
I would say there is an implication of service in Vietnam. True, he did not state he served in Vietnam but his comment may have led some to believe he did.
He is just a politician doing what a politician does he is vague enough to have the comment go either way. Another southern politician, the late Florida Congressman, Claude Pepper, as the master of using deflective language; that is herbage verbiage to spice up his stump speeches. He once accused an “honorable” opponent of “matriculating” from college and having “pre-nuptials” with his (the opponent’s) wife.
Yep, he served during the Vietnam war but did not avoid war service. It was a personal act of recessive bravery.