GOP Senatorial candidate lies about winning military award

[Thunder]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_illinois_senate_military_award

On a weekend dedicated to honoring military service, Illinois Senate candidate Mark Kirk found himself on the defensive over his past claims that he was named the U.S. Navy's intelligence officer of the year, an award he never won.

For years, Kirk and his staff have said he was officer of the year. Now, the Republican, who's in a tough race for President Barack Obama's old Senate seat, acknowledges that isn't true and says his official biography incorrectly described an award won by his unit, not Kirk personally.

I'm sure it was just a "mistake".

 

[MattusMaximus]

"Mistake" my aching ass... I live in Congressman Kirk's district, and he's been trotting out his supposed military awards & credentials for years. And lots of people here have known for years that he's embellished his record. He's always been able to avoid discussing it up until now because he's been able to distract & deflect the issue, but I think now his race is too high profile for it to be ignored.

Now that I think about it, a few years back I attended one of his town hall meetings. And he always liked to make references to his "military record". Here's the catch... I recorded the whole meeting. I wonder if I have this specific lie on record?

 

[thaiboxerken]

As much as I don't like the GOP, I don't really see this as a major issue.

 

[Jekyll's Guest]

He wants to be Senator of Illinois, why even lie to puff up your military background? Is the boot of foreign oppression poised over Chicago?

Personally I'd be more impressed by lies of academic achievements.

 

[Skeptic]

I never understood why people lie about their military records -- the easiest thing to check.

 

[Jekyll's Guest]

I never understood why people lie about their military records -- the easiest thing to check.

I dunno, the Texas Air national Guard, for random example, seems pretty bad at keeping records.

 

[Megalodon]

I never understood why people lie about their military records -- the easiest thing to check.

Habit I would say... until the establishment of the intertubes as a mainstream thing it wasn't so easy to check, and much less easier to spread the word if it was a lie. Crooks could say whatever they wanted about their past actions to get advantage, specially if it was set in a far away place.

Enter the webs, with it's zillion bloggers dying to scoop any kind of news picking at the smallest thing, and journalists trying not to have to cite a blog for their scoops. Claims like those are trivial to check, and the payoff if they don't check out is enormous. A politician's old habits become very hazardous, very fast!

 

[hgc]

Kirk ought to get on the phone to Richard Blumenthal in Connecticut, and thank him for the immunization.

 

[WildCat]

If that's all the dirt they can find on Kirk it won't carry them very far. Kirk's opponent was elected state Treasurer campaigning on how great he was helping run his family-owned Broadway Bank. Now Broadway Bank has failed, in large part due to bad loans to, among other people, a mafioso who was lent millions despite having been convicted and was awaiting sentencing while Alexi was chief loan officer. And the Illinois Treasury is many months behind on payments to state vendors because the state is broke and can't control spending.

So the choice is between a guy who slightly embellished his military record and a failed banker and treasurer of our bankrupt state.

I don't think this is the year of the failed banker in politics. Kirk is way ahead in the polls, and I don't see that changing because of this story.

 

[Jekyll's Guest]

It would be petty, and it wouldn't lead anywhere, but what if his opponents started pushing to have him charged under the stolen valor law?

Could the stink be enough to obscure the banking issue and even things up?

 

[WildCat]

It would be petty, and it wouldn't lead anywhere, but what if his opponents started pushing to have him charged under the stolen valor law?

Could the stink be enough to obscure the banking issue and even things up?

I don't see how the award he claimed to have won individually from the Navy is covered under the Act, which only covers awards or medals awarded by Congress.

 

[Jekyll's Guest]

I don't see how the award he claimed to have won individually from the Navy is covered under the Act, which only covers awards or medals awarded by Congress.

And Obama wasn't born in Kenya, but there are still people all over the U.S. who are unsure.

They just need some short term dirt, right? It's about getting the meme out there.

 

[leftysergeant]

Well, it is a good measure of how bright the jerk is. He was an itnelligence officer. Intelligence officers analyse and assess known facts to extrapolate other facts. This requires tremendous attention to detail.

Jerk boy Kirk let something with erroneous information be published under his imprimatur.

Total dud, at best. To me it looks like total dud plus posturing poppinjay.

 

[MikeMangum]

As much as I don't like the GOP, I don't really see this as a major issue.

I almost like the GOP, and I do see it as a major issue. It's like a job applicant lying on his resume, for starters. Additionally, it says very bad things about the guy's level of honesty. People usually don't come up with these sorts of "gilding the lily" type lies unless they are habitual liers.

 

[hgc]

Hey, I heard this Kirk guy claim he was Captain of the Enterprise.

 

[WildCat]

Hey, I heard this Kirk guy claim he was Captain of the Enterprise.

No, but the previous GOP candidate for that seat dropped out of the race because of a messy divorce with 7 of 9.

 

[MattusMaximus]

It would be petty, and it wouldn't lead anywhere, but what if his opponents started pushing to have him charged under the stolen valor law?

Could the stink be enough to obscure the banking issue and even things up?

Well, the last I'd heard, since this whole flap hit the news Kirk's opponent is gaining on him in the polls. It seems that Kirk has lost his early momentum, and that's really bad news for a Republican in Illinois when the Democratic President is a home-state guy.

 

[Random]

I dunno, the Texas Air national Guard, for random example, seems pretty bad at keeping records.

Not at all. They lost the records they needed to lose with surgical precision.

 

[Jekyll's Guest]

Not at all. They lost the records they needed to lose with surgical precision.

So their incompetency is highly competent? Interesting.

 

[dudalb]

"Mistake" my aching ass... I live in Congressman Kirk's district, and he's been trotting out his supposed military awards & credentials for years. And lots of people here have known for years that he's embellished his record. He's always been able to avoid discussing it up until now because he's been able to distract & deflect the issue, but I think now his race is too high profile for it to be ignored.

Now that I think about it, a few years back I attended one of his town hall meetings. And he always liked to make references to his "military record". Here's the catch... I recorded the whole meeting. I wonder if I have this specific lie on record?

Jesus, if I was a Illinois voter I would probably write in "Mickey Mouse" or "Spider Man" on my ballot as a protest against having such a disgusting choice between a man who lies about his military record, and a man who has all the signs of a classic crooked Illinois politician.