Dean on MSNBC today says NYT story on Blumenthal is a hatchet job.

[madfloridian]

Howard Dean: N.Y. Times story a 'hatchet job'

Howard Dean on Wednesday took the New York Times to task for running a “hatchet job” story on Democratic Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal misstating his service in Vietnam without acknowledging that the information came from a GOP campaign.

...."Dean, in an interview with MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” said the story amounted to little more that “gotcha” journalism.

“Let's be fair about this. This is a New York Times gotcha story planted by the opposition,” said Dean, the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee. “It was planned by the opposition. The New York Times did not acknowledge that in their front page article.”

Dean urged Connecticut voters to “listen to Blumenthal’s side” of the story before judging his candidacy.

“I think he deserves a chance to get his side out there,” he said. “I frankly think this is a hatchet job.”

[Vinca]

1. If only the video didn't exist . . .

Blumenthal should step aside now before it's too late to recruit someone else to run.

[sinkingfeeling]

2. Wow, in one case he left out a couple of words, which changed the meaning of the sentence, and

you think he should resign. Compare that one incident to the numerous times he has said he did not go to Viet Nam.

[Vinca]

7. The video is there and whether or not you like it, his Republican

opponent will be orgasmic over it. That will be played over and over and over and over and over and over again. I don't care if the man is Jesus Christ come back to earth, he can't win the Senate seat with that video out there.

[DefenseLawyer]

9. Lindsey Graham is in the Senate, is he not?

How did that happen? He glossed himself as a "Gulf War veteran" for years til he had to admit he was a probate JAG lawyer in South Carolina during the war.

[redqueen]

12. Blumenthal should bring that up

any time the issue is raised.

[razorman]

5. That's a big problem for a lot of public figures now. How do they keep forgetting

that virtually everyone has a video camera these days? Yet, they still say and do stupid things in public, where the video can be brought up later to embarrass them. I have little sympathy for them.

[librechik]

16. What about the dozens of times he plainly said he didn't fight in VietNam?

clearly he wasn't trying to hide the type of service he was in. It was a slip of the tongue that opportunists now wish to exploit.

[OHdem10]

3. PBS J Leher Newshour did a most fair piece on this. One would

conclude the GOP Opposition Research has been quite busy.
(McMahon campaign). NYT would have been better off to say
their source was McMahon Campaign.

He apologized.

[deminks]

4. K&R

[ProSense]

6. It's

obvious.

[joeybee12]

8. The Gray Lady is now simply one more stinking rag...n/t

[nyc 4 Biden]

14. i agree. its been that way for years.

i cant even read it anymore. which is a damn shame.

[Dawson Leery]

10. The Times is worse that Fox "News".

Most understand the Fox angle, but still see the Times as being 'liberal'.
The Times had similar hatchet jobs on ACORN, the Swiftboaters, promoted the Iraq War, and went after Clinton for every nuance.

[femmedem]

11. It's not as if Blumenthal routinely mythologized himself as having served in Vietnam.

In the same exact 2008 speech in which he said he served in Vietnam, he correctly stated that he served in the military during the Vietnam era.
http://www.courant.com/news/politics/ctn-ap-blumenthal-correct-service-0519,0,3662307.story

Blumenthal was also crystal clear about not having served in Vietnam during a recent debate. I'm someone who misspeaks a lot, especially when I'm tired. I reverse words, I say the wrong words, I say words that sound a little bit like the word I was trying to say--and I don't always notice. So I know it's at least possible that it was an honest mistake.

Also, I live in CT. Most people think Blumenthal has done a really good job as AG. He fights for the little people, he fights polluters, he'll go to bat for you when your credit card company is screwing you over. In coffee shops today and yesterday, I've been hearing stories about how responsive Blumenthal has been to his constituents.

[Dawson Leery]

13. See ProSense's post.

.

[madfloridian]

15. Full video and 2 defenses of Blumenthal from Daily Kos.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/5/19/867993/-CT-Sen:-NY-Times-blows-Blumenthal-story

Video is at the top recced link today.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/5/19/867993/-CT-Sen:-NY-Times-blows-Blumenthal-story

[madfloridian]

21. Watch the full video.

They edited it.

[Uzybone]

17. Clearly a hatchet job

and I think the voters will see that and ignore it. The spineless can continue to ask for Blumenthal to step out, but he will not.

[Scurrilous]

18. K & R

:thumbsup:

[madfloridian]

19. Kick

[Hubert Flottz]

20. The same New York Times that...

Pushed the Whitewater story and the same NYT that helped Bush and Cheney lie us into Iraq. A Corporate RAG!