Blumenthal apologizes, via e-mail, for saying he served in Vietnam War

Conn. candidate says sorry for misstatements
Blumenthal apologizes, via e-mail, for saying he served in Vietnam War
updated 6:54 a.m. ET, Mon., May 24, 2010

HARTFORD, Conn. - U.S. Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal has apologized in an e-mail for misstatements he made about his military service during the Vietnam War, nearly a week after the controversy erupted.

"I have made mistakes and I am sorry. I truly regret offending anyone," Blumenthal said in a statement e-mailed to The Hartford Courant late Sunday.

"At times when I have sought to honor veterans, I have not been as clear or precise as I should have been about my service in the Marine Corps Reserves,'' he said in the statement. "I have firmly and clearly expressed regret and taken responsibility for my words."

It's the first apology from Blumenthal. He had said he regretted his misstatements and took responsibility for them after The New York Times reported last week that he wrongly said more than once that he served in Vietnam.

He served stateside in the Marine Reserve during Vietnam. He says he unintentionally said he served "in" Vietnam when he meant "during" Vietnam.

Blumenthal, Connecticut's attorney general, received the Democratic nomination for the Senate race Friday.

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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37311614/ns/politics-decision_2010/?ocid=twitter

But, I give Blumenthal credit for choosing the least-ungraceful way out. He apologized--clearly apologized--and it wasn't one of those half-assed apologies ("I regret it if I offended anyone") we usually hear.

watch.