Veterans Group Slams Gubernatorial Candidate for Slamming Vet
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Hemera/Thinkstock(BALTIMORE) — Suddenly, the race for the Democratic nomination for governor of Maryland has become a more interesting contest to watch.
It has to do with state Attorney General Douglas Gansler apparently disparaging the military record of Lt. Governor Anthony Brown. Both are vying for the Democratic nod.
On Monday, Gansler said the following about his rival at a campaign event, “You know, his (campaign) ads are about how he was a lawyer in Iraq, and that’s all fine and good, but this is a real job, and we need to have somebody who actually has leadership experience.”
Brown, who is also a reservist, spent five years on active duty in the Army during the 1980s.
The veterans advocacy group VoteVets.org immediately went on the offensive, saying, “Doug Gansler needs to stop smearing those of us who served in Iraq as not having had a ‘real job.’ It’s a horrible insult to all those men and women who put their lives on the line, and especially those who died, in service to this country.”
The group added that being lieutenant governor is a “real job.”
Gansler later issued a statement saying that he has “the utmost respect for [Brown’s] military service and for veterans.”
The attorney general is no stranger to controversy. Shortly after announcing his candidacy last fall, he wound up apologizing for his appearance at a high school beach party where underage drinking was going on.
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