Just when you thought things couldn't get worse for Democrats. A simply brutal story from the New York Times:

At a ceremony honoring veterans and senior citizens who sent presents to soldiers overseas, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut rose and spoke of an earlier time in his life.

“We have learned something important since the days that I served in Vietnam,” Mr. Blumenthal said to the group gathered in Norwalk in March 2008. “And you exemplify it. Whatever we think about the war, whatever we call it — Afghanistan or Iraq — we owe our military men and women unconditional support.”

There was one problem: Mr. Blumenthal, a Democrat now running for the United States Senate, never served in Vietnam. He obtained at least five military deferments from 1965 to 1970 and took repeated steps that enabled him to avoid going to war, according to records.

The deferments allowed Mr. Blumenthal to complete his studies at Harvard; pursue a graduate fellowship in England; serve as a special assistant to The Washington Post's publisher, Katharine Graham; and ultimately take a job in the Nixon White House.

In 1970, with his last deferment in jeopardy, he enlisted in the Marine Reserve, landing a coveted spot in a unit in Washington, which virtually guaranteed that he would not be sent to Vietnam. The unit conducted part-time drills and other exercises and focused on local projects, like fixing a campground and organizing a Toys for Tots drive.

The race had been classified as Likely Democratic. Blumenthal's entry to the race as Sen. Chris Dodd (D) announced he would not run was seen as saving the seat. Now ... well, we'll see.

Democrats in Connecticut were set to hold their nominating convention this Friday.

UPDATE: Rob Simmons, one of the Republican hopefuls, earned two Bronze Stars for his 19 months of service in Vietnam. Think his stock just rose among Nutmeg State Republicans?

UPDATE 2: Here's Sean Trende's take:

Blumenthal leads his GOP opponents by 20-30 points in the polls, but he's awfully close to 50% for a guy who has held statewide office for over a decade. More importantly he hasn't run a competitive race in years, which causes you to make costly gaffes like this.

...

I actually don't think this will leave that much of a mark. But it is the type of gaffe that causes consultants to shudder at what might come next, and its why we think there's a good chance that this race will tighten.

UPDATE 3: Here's a statement from the Blumenthal campaign:

"The New York Times story is an outrageous distortion of Dick Blumenthal's record of service. Unlike many of his peers, Dick Blumenthal voluntarily joined the Marine Corps Reserves in 1970 and served for six months in Parris Island, SC and six years in the reserves.  He received no special treatment from anyone. Dick has a long record of standing up for veterans.  Tomorrow,  veterans will be standing up with Dick."

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