Mark Souder

Both Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind) and Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal have found themselves under the gimlet eye of the press today. Souder's admission of an affair with staffer Tracy Jackson and Blumenthal misstating how he served during the Vietnam War met in the blogosphere and mainstream press, a rare confluence of scandal. No surprise that Souder's is leading the day. Sex sells, and for the first time in a while, a Republican man is admitting to cheating with a woman. Comparing the two brings some interesting commonalities and differences to light, though, and not just because Blumenthal is a Democrat.

Richard Blumenthal's loose speech about his service during the Vietnam War, like Mark Souder's affair with Tracy Jackson, has been going on for years. As far back as 2006, the New Haven Register described Blumenthal as a veteran of the Vietnam War. He actually used student and other deferments as long as possible during that time period, then landed a slot with the Marine Reserves. Souder and Jackson's affair began in 2004 and rumors about it surfaced a few years later.

Where the differences become more complex is how Blumenthal and Souder have conducted themselves during their respective misbehaviors. Souder's political career has been devoted to pushing fundamentalist Christian sexual values. He and his mistress recorded multiple videos on his speeches and opinions, including support for abstinence-only sexual education. Blumenthal's fraudulent remarks about his service have been employed in an apparent attempt to champion veterans' causes.
It comes down to the Republican lying about his values to hide his behavior and the Democrat lying about his behavior to promote his values. Frankly, I think neither man deserves any adulation for their conduct. I've seen at least one self-described Christian apologia for Souder already. Fortunately, I've seen no combat veterans attempt to do the same for Blumenthal on the same scale. Souder's resignation was a rare intelligent move for a seated Republican caught in a sex scandal. Whether Blumenthal steps back from running for Chris Dodd's Senate seat remains to be seen. I think he owes veterans a very large apology before he does anything else.

And it would only be fair to close this with video comparisons. Here are clips of Richard Blumenthal and Mark Souder coming clean to the press: