Linda McMahon Bodyslams Blumenthal With Ad About Vietnam War Comments (VIDEO)

Linda McMahon is out with a brutal new attack ad highlighting controversial comments made by her opponent Richard Blumenthal about his Vietnam War-era military service.

"Would you lie about serving in a war?" the Connecticut GOP Senate candidate's ad reads over sounds of gunfire.

"Dick Blumenthal did, again and again," the ad continues, splicing shots of Democratic Attorney General Richard Blumenthal's much-criticized speeches with footage of American soldiers in Vietnam.

The brazen new strike is the first of its nature from the McMahon campaign, which has been less direct about addressing Blumenthal's statements uncovered by the New York Times in May.

"We have learned something important since the days that I served in Vietnam," Blumenthal said at a Norwalk rally in 2008. According to the Times report, however, Blumenthal had received multiple military deferments and had never actually been deployed.

The Times also reported that Blumenthal had mentioned having "served" in or "returned" from Vietnam on other occasions.

"If he lied about Vietnam, what else is he lying about?" the McMahon ad concludes.

Blumenthal had made a calculated decision to avoid making McMahon's own colorful history as WWE CEO a staple of the early stages of his campaign strategy -- he even chose not to mention her company directly in his latest ad. With McMahon's new ad in the spotlight, however, perhaps Blumenthal's tactics will change.

The McMahon campaign is currently facing some fire for reports about a 2003 WWE pay-per-view event that was held in cooperation with adult entertainment company "Girls Gone Wild."

The latest round of polling shows Linda McMahon closing the gap on Blumenthal in the heavily Democratic Connecticut, but that was before the wealthy GOP candidate came under heavy criticism for comments about reviewing the minimum wage.

WATCH:

Comments

[ZeraLee]

05:04 AM on 10/06/2010

If Linda McMahon took her business through bankruptcy, what else might she take through bankruptcy?

Does she have a platform yet, or just a promoter?

[mkalinow]

12:25 PM on 10/06/2010

Well then she's qualified since that's where this country is headed.

[ZeraLee]

04:23 PM on 10/06/2010

All too true. Conservatives have spent the last 30 years weakening the economy, and we have finally reached the point where we cannot borrow enough money to offset their failures.

I am afraid that this time they will get their double-dip, and we will begin a slide we cannot recover from.

Absent the emergency spending, Obama44 has been much more fiscally responsible than Bush43. Statistically, Democrats do much better at managing the economy than the republicans. Republicans are better at managing public perception.

[Hofstra]

06:13 PM on 10/05/2010

One difference between McMahon and Bloomenthal in terms of wealth is McMahon has much wealth to gain with victory and this is a motivator for her spending. The wrestling league is a media operation and it could be a much more powerful one perhaps with McMahon as a senator voting on media rules. The huge, huge , huge conflict of interests between politics and media right now is so unethical, a very sneaky way of getting ahead. It is completely laughable that the Blumenthal comments are brought up compared to this most of all.

[FunctioningBrain]

01:49 PM on 10/05/2010

Voters are going to have to bite the bullet on this one. Vote for Blumenthal (reprehensible as I find his lies about service) to keep McMahon out of office, then find a better candidate during the next primary.

[takeabigdeepbreath]

01:25 PM on 10/05/2010

So what's Vince McMahon like?

[takeabigdeepbreath]

01:21 PM on 10/05/2010

If this is her best punch, I'll take Blumenthal any day!! She seems to care about profits over people.

[Beau2]

02:03 PM on 10/05/2010

And he cares about politics over our fallen soldiers.

You have an odd sense of honor. So does he.

[Kimpeach]

08:11 PM on 10/06/2010

How so? He was a solidier himself!!

[Seafarer61]

11:58 AM on 10/05/2010

You don't misspeak about combat. As someone who served in Beirut, Lebanon it's rather easy to know the difference between reserve duty back in the states and a tour of duty where the spilling of blood occurs.

Career embellishment to score political points should not be excused by any citizen. It is a precursor to elevating the "whatever it takes to remain in power" politician. Much like the game of golf...when you see someone kicking their ball to a better lie, that pretty much tells you all you need to know about their character.

[68Namvet]

12:02 PM on 10/05/2010

As a combat vet and golfer - how perfect a response! Fanned and Faved!

[faith]

11:50 AM on 10/05/2010

Incredible. Aren't there some truthful politicians in Connecticut? With the statements that are coming out of McMahon and Blumenthal's mouths it is becoming more clear just how powerful and important getting elected to office has become in america.

[68Namvet]

11:57 AM on 10/05/2010

Same thing I posted and asked earlier. Apparently, only some "whacko tea bagger" - I guess the people of CT are going to get the governance they deserve.

[whatisrightisright]

10:44 AM on 10/05/2010

Blumenthal served in vietnam with John Kerry didn't he?

[68Namvet]

11:41 AM on 10/05/2010

Spoken from someone who never served - obviously.

Kerry served honorably in combat - it was Bush who ran away AWOL from his difficult National Guard service here at home and Cheney who managed to secure himself 5 deferments to never have to serve.

[Billar]

09:32 AM on 10/05/2010

I ask now, how many lives have the McMahon's ruined with their steroid menagerie.

[scjk67]

08:30 AM on 10/05/2010

Mchahon is too little, too late making this informercial out on Blumenthal of what he said and already apologizes for saying about that he missed spoke about his record in Vietnam.

[Beau2]

02:05 PM on 10/05/2010

Translation: "missed spoke" = LIED!

The man is an admitted liar.

[Kimpeach]

08:13 PM on 10/06/2010

He apologized! Everyone on here has lied about something, but very few of us have admitted that lie!

[nbb]

08:21 AM on 10/05/2010

Blumenthal was foolish to have set himself up for this kind of thing. Overreaching as he did will not work for him or any others in the day of the internet. I'll note that McMahon is no prize herself. I think the voters of Connecticut will have to hold their noses and cast a ballot.

[rich24h]

08:30 AM on 10/05/2010

true but what an over the top line SLAMS BLUMENTHAL wow
i wonder has anyone investigated steroid use in wrestling ???

[mkalinow]

12:33 PM on 10/06/2010

In the early 90's the WWE instituted random drug testing for steroid use. When athletes fail the test, the organization attempts to help the performer but a second failed test results in their immediate dismissal. Several performers have indeed been let go from this company for that reason.

[JimR]

10:51 AM on 10/05/2010

If you look at the full text of his comments in those instances, and not just selective snippets, it's really not that bad. In one speech he even said outright he didn't serve in Vietnam. He just misspoke, that's all. But it's political season. Fact, schmacts.

[ShanaJuly]

07:27 AM on 10/05/2010

Anatomy of a failure cont'd:

Republican Bush, with a policy of 'disengagement,' created the most hostile Israeli-Palestine relations in at least 30 years.

Republican Bush is the first US president in history to have a majority of the people of Europe (71%) view his presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and stability.

Republican Bush was the first US president in history to have the people of South Korea feel more threatened by the US than their immediate neighbor, North Korea.

Republican Bush changed US policy to allow convicted criminals to be awarded government contracts.

Republican Bush set the all-time record for number of administration appointees who violated US law by not selling huge investments in corporations bidding for government contracts.

Republican Bush failed to fulfill his pledge to get Osama Bin Laden 'dead or alive'. Less than a year later, the leader of the United States of America, sworn to uphold the constitution and protect this nation from foreign and domestic enemies, said "I don't know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority" -- 3/13/02

Republican Bush and his conservative controlled intelligence failed to capture the anthrax killer who killed five people, attempted to murder two Democratic Senators and infected 17 others. At the very end of Bush's presidency, the FBI finally suggested that the murderer was probably Bruce Edwards Ivins, although he was never arrested.

[LucieLee]

07:08 AM on 10/05/2010

Nothing but a cheap-shot, which will fail McMahon in the end. It didn't seem to bother Blumenthal when everyone in the media, who feeds on this sort of thing thought it was over for the CT AG, put it proved not to be. Now that McMahon sees a little desperate to score some points before the pre-season "game" that is the debate, her campaign puts out this ad. Quite the diversion to not have to discuss the fact that she didn't know what the minimum wage was in her state! What else doesn't she know about the state she claims she wants to represent?

[MARYHOBE]

06:50 AM on 10/05/2010

Blumenthal was serving in the military during this period. Where was Ms. McMahon and her partner and spouse? Some have claimed they were bilking investors with wild schemes and chancy investment propositions! Were there any lies involved in getting those investors to hand over their money? Maybe we would prefer to call it "hard sell"! Professional wrestling is not an illegal activity, but we can look at the effect it has had over the nation's values, or the message it has furnished our kids. And so let's compare the lies in question, Mr. Blumenthal with one verified lie and an apology, and Ms. McMahon with a lifetime of questionable activity and a product that I personally have made an effort to erase from my children's consumption, and not without difficulty!

[ShanaJuly]

06:45 AM on 10/05/2010

Those who never serve are always so quick to attack but it is republicans who are always attacking someone's service. As long as criminals Vitter and Ensign sit on their ar.ses in the US Senate having broken laws in this country, Blumenthal can proudly serve. Those two republican chicken hawks cannot carry his water...