Overnight, our show producer Dave “ThirdWaveDave” schooled Neil Cavuto on an important lesson. So bothered by Cavuto’s comments about Connecticut’s AG, Dave lost sleep over this one. I’m thinking a lot of Vets did.
NEIL CAVUTO: CUT BLUMENTHAL A BREAK–NOT A CHANCE
On Tuesday, Neil, you completely caught me off guard with your closing segment “Common Sense.” It was anything but common sense; it was disappointing and somewhat shocking, because I couldn’t believe what you just said.
I speak of the Blumenthal segment where you insisted on cutting him a break for saying he served in Viet Nam when he didn’t. Your argument for this was a stretch, weak at best.
Then you closed with this parting shot at those of us who were upset with Blumenthal:
“Get him on issues that matter, for God’s sake; not nonsense like this that does not.” —Read the whole piece.
Nonsense? The issue doesn’t matter? Neil, you couldn’t be more wrong if you tried. In fact, we expect this rhetoric from the likes of Code Pink, Jane Fonda or John Kerry, but not you.
Blumenthal just happens to be a politician, and I’m sure there are those who want to use this issue to bring him down. That’s politics. When non-politicians who’ve never served in VN say they did–and there are many–they are exposed just the same and always will be. Whether he lied or simply misspoke on several occasions, an apology is the honorable thing. The only thing. By not apologizing, he placed his true character on display. And to be honest, Neil, at this point it’s too late for Blumenthal to rescue his character. Trust me.
Lies are lies. Character is character. It is time for integrity, character, honesty, and truth to reign. If someone misspeaks, correct it immediately and apologize, set the record straight don’t continue and hope nobody notices. Perhaps we should start asking “What would George Washington do?”
I am a vet and I was appalled at Neal’s comments about Blumenthal last evening. He was so wrong. Linda’s comments were excellent. Integrity does matter. I hope the people of CT will respond accordingly
that’s a bit of a shock to hear Cavuto said this.
Blumenthal coolly calculated that saying “my service in vietnam” would build his credibility on some issues, and repeated it. Then he became aware that it would be a problem, and made some speeches in which he pointed out he didn’t go to Vietnam, as if saying this would somehow erase the previous statements that he DID go.
It is all about character, not ‘mis-speaking’. A man should not claim to have done something when that claim will certainly BUILD PUBLIC RESPECT FOR HIM and make other aspects of his life and goals easier, not if he HAS NOT DONE the thing he claims.
Might as well claim he has a master’s degree or claim he adopts orphans from poor countries. Or claim he has given millions to charity.
Except those claims can all be easily checked, whereas serving in the Marine reserves gave him a fudge factor… he could have been to Vietnam, right? And who would check that?
That one seemed easy.
Now it’s been checked, and character is found lacking. Cavuto seems to have a blind spot here. I wish it were otherwise. But Fox News is not where I put my ‘moral currency’, thank goodness.
IN total agreement with you there, Dave. And I’m not particularly enamored of Fox News either. It’s the NYPost on video. Not terribly informative, but lots of flash and irrelevant chatter.
There is a fundamental difference between a Vietnam Era Veteran and a Vietnam Vet. I am the former just like Blumenthal. While that designation provides me certain entitlements when it comes to applying for a federal job, it will not get me membership in the VFW which requires proof you served in a designated combat zone. It does not get me certain privileges to the VFW medical care system as a result of war related issues. It clearly does not giving me a right to claim I was their when I was not to appease a particular sector of a voter base. Blumenthal like Kerry is a joke. I am a life member of the VFW: not because of Vietnam but Desert Storm. First you earn the ribbons then you earn the privileges associated with those ribbons.