This is a story of two men. One, a golfer,and the other’ a politician’ who is aspiring to be a governor.
The first, the golfer, Brian Davis is from the UK. He has never won a PGA event in the United States. Last month he was leading the Heritage Classic on day four. He fell back, but made a birdie on the hard 18th hole at Harbor Town in South Carolina to force a sudden death playoff. The playoff started back at the 18th hole. Davis came up just short on his second shot and ended up in a hazard in front of the green. He had options. He could have taken it out of the hazard with a stroke penalty and tried to hit it close and still make a bogey. His opponent was on the green in two and could three putt. He opted to try to hit it out of the hazard and onto the green. He did just that. Got it closer than the birdie putt he made to force the playoff. But, he signaled for a rules official to come over. He told the rules official he might have knocked a small twig off a growing plant in this back swing. The announcers didn’t see it. The opponent didn’t see it. The rules officials didn’t see it. Only Davis saw it. A replay showed he had done what he feared he did. Golf is an honorable game. Golfers are honorable people. Playing by the rules trumps winning. Davis gave up a trip to the Masters next year and many other perks, not to mention several hundred thousand dollars, to live with himself and his respect for the rules.
By contrast, we have Richard Blumenthal Connecticut’s popular Attorney General. He is running for Chris Dodd’s senate seat. The same Chris Dodd who took perks from Countrywide Mortgage while being the rules official for not allowing such things. Blumenthal has operated much like Eliot Spitzer did as Attorney General of New York. Using the job as a stepping stone to bigger and better things, he prosecuted anyone and anything that would keep his ugly mug on TV. Some pretty innocent people got trampled by Blumenthal. In the process of running for the senate, he made statements about his military record saying he served in Viet Nam.
The New York Times outed him on the miltary record. Seems old Dickie got four deferments to stay out of Viet Nam. He’s in a Brian Davis situation, needs to have a penalty. But, Davis called his on himself. His was committed in the act of trying to strike a golf ball. He did not lie, actually was unable to lie. He made sure he did the right things.
Blumenthal, on the other hand, stood in a VFW hall with some vets behind him and said he”mispoke”. How would Brian Davis have handled the same situation? First, Brian would not have lied to begin with, but in the same situation one might hear: ” I lied my ass off to get the senate job in Connecticut. I probably made all of you think I will continue to lie my ass off and have for most of my sleezy political life. I am a liar. But, most of my political friends are serial liars, so I’m no worse than most. If you can live with my habitual lying, elect me, if not, don’t.
Maybe Brian Davis should run for office.
