Yesterday Illinois' Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate Mark Kirk finally stopped running from the press and agreed to hold a press conference to explain away various statements he had made, such as:
- "I was the Navy's Intelligence Officer of the Year."
- "In my role in the military, I command the war room in the Pentagon."
- "As you may know, I am a veteran of the Desert Storm and Enduring Freedom missions."
- "The last time I was in Iraq I was in uniform, flying at 20,000 feet and the Iraqi Air Defense Network was shooting at us."
- "Last year, I was with a Dutch armor unit in Kandahar, getting shot at."
... all of which have been proven to be untrue.
But Kirk's only explanation for what some might describe as blatant lies was to say that he "wasn't thinking," and that he was "careless" when he made the remarks (some more than once).
So let's give Kirk the benefit of the doubt and accept that ... he isn't a liar, he's just careless and speaks without thinking. Is that who the people of Illinois want to represent them in Washington?