Editorial boards across Montana are tearing into appointed Sen. John Walsh (D-MT) after The New York Times uncovered apparent plagiarism during his time at the US Army War College. The Great Falls Tribune editorial board even says Walsh should withdraw from the race. Oh, and after walking back his excuse that PTSD caused him to plagiarize his masters thesis, it turns out that he was never actually diagnosed with PTSD. Those stories and much more are below.
Huffington Post: John Walsh Backtracks On Blaming PTSD For Plagiarism
U.S. Sen. John Walsh (D-Mont.) is backtracking on earlier statements suggesting post-traumatic stress disorder from his Iraq War military service played a role in why he plagiarized his masters’ thesis in 2007.
HotAir.com: Sen. John Walsh: PTSD not to blame for plagiarism
Breitbart.com: Walsh Backtracks on Blaming PTSD for Plagiarism
The phrase ‘stop digging’ comes to mind. Just two days after indicating he may have plagiarized his master’s thesis due to post-traumatic stress disorder, now Montana Democrat U.S. Senator John Walsh said, “I am in no way, no way, tying what I did to any type of PTSD.”
Wall Street Journal- Sen. John Walsh: PTSD Not to Blame for Plagiarism (h/t Breitbart.com)
Besides the AP interview, Mr. Walsh has avoided Washington reporters since story broke. In the Friday interview, Mr. Walsh sought to compare the seriousness of the charges against him with the sorts of decisions he made in combat in Iraq.
Bozeman Daily Chronicle- Poll: Based on reports that he plagiarized a research paper for a master’s degree from the Army War College, should John Walsh withdraw his candidacy for the U.S. Senate?
Daily Inter Lake editorial: There’s No Valid Excuse for Walsh Plagiarism
By the way, speaking of that Daily Inter Lake editorial, here’s what they had to say regarding Walsh:
Let’s put it in context: If John Walsh had plagiarized while working in the newsroom at the Daily Inter Lake, he would have been sent packing.
Whether the same standard applies in the Senate is up for debate.
Great Falls Tribune editorial: Sen. Walsh’s plagiarism was reprehensible
That Democrats, Walsh himself and his handlers have trotted out various excuses — that this is just a hiccup in the race, or that trauma encountered by Walsh in Iraq might have been a factor, or it’s no big deal — is not a credit to the Democratic Party.
If the Democrats want to hold on to the Max Baucus Senate seat, their best hope is for Walsh to step aside by Aug. 11 and for a new candidate to take his place on the ballot for a fresh start.
Helena IR editorial: Walsh must be accountable for plagiarism
It would be one thing if this came to light as Walsh was running for an elected office he didn’t already have. Then voters could make their own choice about whether or not these revelations disqualify him for the Senate. But now, thanks to Bullock’s appointment, Walsh is a sitting senator serving the people of Montana, asking for our confidence and trust on a daily basis.
Rather than make excuses, Walsh should have owned up to his mistakes and apologized to the citizens of Montana and the scholars and writers he stole from.
Politico Video: Dems fight for control of Senate
POLITICO’s Anna Palmer and Manu Raju on how Democrats are fighting to keep control of the Senate after John Walsh’s plagiarism accusations. Video sponsored by Comcast. Produced by Michael Schwab 07/24/2014
The Missoulian- GEORGE OCHENSKI: Not too late for John Walsh to do the honorable thing
The most commonly heard phrase since the New York Times revealed that Montana’s Democratic U.S. Sen. John Walsh plagiarized vast sections of his 2007 U.S. Army War College master’s thesis is three words long: “Walsh is toast.”
In the end, the honorable thing for Walsh to do would be to admit the plagiarism, resign and allow another candidate to replace him on the November ballot. Should he fail to do so, Walsh and the Democratic Party will likely be beaten for cheatin’.
Politico: Senate Democrats brace for John Walsh fallout
Still, Democrats hoped that the uproar would soon die down, and Walsh could soon return to regular campaigning. They likened the scandal to the 2010 Connecticut Senate race, when it was revealed that Richard Blumenthal never served in Vietnam, contradicting his numerous assertions that he did, as well as the 2012 controversy over whether Elizabeth Warren improperly cited having Native American heritage to advance in her academic career. Warren and Blumenthal eventually won those races.
But those two races were in deep-blue states — not in red Montana, where President Barack Obama is deeply unpopular and where Walsh was only just appointed to the Senate seat in February to fill the vacancy of Max Baucus, now the U.S. ambassador to China. Republicans expressed new confidence in Daines’ chances following the Wednesday report — and some Democrats privately agreed.
“It’s over,” one senior Democratic Senate source said Thursday.
The Western Word, a typically pro-Walsh blog: MT Senate 2014 Silence
Realistically, if Walsh decides to “step aside,” the only person having a fighting chance against Daines at this time is former Gov. Brian Schweitzer, but even he is tainted. Democrats might as well keep Walsh on the ballot if it’s anyone else.
Walsh and his team said on Friday that he was staying in the race, but that was on Friday – which was a lifetime ago (and probably several meetings) from today.
Bad day?
“Rising Response” YouTube Page: John Walsh Supporters Take Out Frustrations On Tracker
At an event on Saturday, July 26 in Helena, John Walsh supporters let out their frustrations about Walsh’s plagiarism news on a video tracker.
By the way, it now turns out he was never even diagnosed with PTSD.
Yahoo News- Exclusive: Sen. John Walsh responds to revelations that he plagiarized Army War College paper
A doctor prescribed Montana Democratic Sen. John Walsh medication for symptoms of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder after he returned from an Army deployment in Iraq, but he was not formally diagnosed with PTSD, the senator confirmed to Yahoo News following revelations this week that he had plagiarized a paper to receive his masters degree at the Army War College in 2007.
A page from Walsh’s 2007 Army War College yearbook obtained by Yahoo News — the only photographic evidence available to this point of his time there — shows him smiling and playing golf with friends under the caption, “H20, Beer, H20 Break” and “You think they will miss us at seminar?”