What Is It With Senate Canidates From Illinois?

What is it with Senators, former senators and Senate Candidates from Illinois. First, you have President Obama who, when he was not campaigning for president, was the most radical in the Senate. You have Dick Durbin who may have had some insider information on stocks and you have Roland Burris who came into the Senate under the cloud of the Rob Blagojevich scandal. Now, 2 candidates for senate, GOP and Democrat, are involved in more scandal.
From Fox News: "Illinois Senate candidate Mark Kirk is acknowledging that he falsely claimed to have received the U.S. Navy's Intelligence Officer of the Year award after his opponent's campaign started challenging Kirk's resume.
Kirk, a five-term Republican representative, said his official biography "misidentified" the award."
Misidentified, my butt. You don't confuse the two awards. One is an individual award and one is a group award. This is just as bad as the CT senate candidate, Richard Blumenthal who said he fought in Vietnam when he did not. Is it enough to disqualify Kirk from the race? I don't know, it's a close call. He's a liar but he did not claim he was given a medal he didn't deserve or serve in combat when he did not. So, yes he is scum for making this claim, but it is a matter of degree.
But on the other hand, he also has served in the Navy honorably: Kirk, who is currently a reservist as well as co-chairman of a House Appropriations Committee working group on electronic warfare, has won several honors, including two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, a Joint Meritorious Unit Award, a Navy Unit Commendation, a Meritorious Unit Commendation and a National Defense Service medal.
But the Democrat candidate, Illinois state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, is not a saint either: "Recent polls show Giannoulias closing in on Kirk despite Giannoulias' family bank being seized by federal regulators last month.
Eric Elk, a spokesman for Kirk's campaign, said Giannoulias is in no position to attack Kirk's military record.
"Alexi Giannoulias is a failed mob banker whose reckless lending practices cost the FDIC $394 million when they closed his family bank and he cost Illinois families tens of millions in losses from the state's college savings fund," Elk said in a blog posting on Saturday."
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/05/30/kirk-defends-military-record-misrepresenting-navy-commendation/?test=latestnews
Ahh, only in Illinois.