Romney In and Out of Uniform

The Boston Globe reports on a serious contradiction in Mitt Romney's carefully crafted personal saga. Today Mitt Romney says "he longed to be sent to Vietnam" when he was draft age. That he wanted to take an active part in the war he supported so vigorously. Not true. Romney actually sought and received multiple and extended deferments.

Is it a lie to say you longed to take part in the war you supported (and protested in favor of) when you actually did everything you could to avoid serving? What else would you call it? And his story has changed from admitting he didn't want to go to Vietnam to saying he longed to be in combat. His changing stories should raise concerns too.

News media avoid reporting this kind of damaging story about Republican candidates. They stonewalled coverage of Bush's elaborate draft evasions and reporting on it ended Dan Rather's career. They downplayed the stories about McCain's bizarre record as a navy pilot and his erratic behavior since. But you can imagine the blanket coverage a story like this would get if it were about President Obama or any Democrat. Even bogus stories about a Democrat always receive serious attention and refuse to die even when debunked. Real ones about Republicans are barely reported.

This story from the National Memo is potentially more troubling: an alleged history of impersonating police officers. What kind of personality engages in this behavior for kicks? And because it's criminal behavior, what could it mean to Romney's candidacy?