Is There Anything Real About Mark Kirk

First, we learned that Congressman Kirk claimed to have one a military award he never won. Then, we learned that he claimed to be deployed in Afghanistan when he was really in Afghanistan training on weekends. Now, we learn he's been inflating his record as a teacher.

New questions are emerging about a candidate's record in the race for the U.S. Senate.

First Mark Kirk was questioned about the accuracy of his military record. Now there are questions about what Kirk says about his teaching career.

Did Mark Kirk misremember, exaggerate or lie when he talked about a teaching job he held 29 years ago? Did he really believe that some of the pre-schoolers he taught might bring a gun to class? It is the latest episode in a sometimes unbelievable US Senate campaign.

While he has never claimed to have been an accredited teacher, Congressman Kirk's campaign often mentions their candidate's brief experiences in the classroom: He taught the 1982-83 academic year at a private high school in London and earlier in 1981, the campaign says, at a church run nursery school in Ithaca, New York.

What's really amazing about all this is that Kirk has won five elections to the U.S. Congress. None of his opponents, and he usually won handily, ever figured this out. It appears that Mark Kirk can't seem to keep things straight about his own history and that doesn't give one a good feeling about how he'll speak about the issues of the day.

It once seemed impossible that Alexi Giannoulias could win. He's the ultimate insider in a year when that is not a good place to be. Furthermore, all his so called accomplishments are now seen as liabilities. It appeared as though the failure of his family bank would be the major story. Now, the story is Mark Kirk's inability to tell the truth.

It should be noted that LeAlan Jones is the Green Party candidate for Senate from Illinois. He once polled at 14%. He's had no scandals that we know of.

Kirk Exaggerated Military Record

Mark Kirk may be following Connecticut AG Dick Blumenthal into military infamy.

Republican Representative, and candidate for the United States Senate, Mark Kirk has overstated his military accolades, claiming that he received the Intelligence Officer of the Year award. In a statement last Saturday, Kirk admitted that he had exaggerated his record.

Kirk says that he recently reviewed the biography on his website and realized that he'd made a mistake. He has been boasting, however, about this award for years, saying that he was awarded for his service in the war in Kosovo, Operation Allied Force.

Kirk used the award in his resume during his first run for Congress. He has also used his military time and accolades as a case for greater experience over his opponent in the race for the Senate, Alexi Giannoulias.

There's been a lot of news recently and so it's unclear just how much effect this will have on the Illinois Senate race. His opponent, Alexi Giannoulias, has plenty of problems of his own.

Kirk Goes After Giannoulias

Mark Kirk is making an issue of Alexi Giannoulias' ties to Broadway Bank.

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kirk said Monday the fate of his Democratic rival's family bank should be an issue of concern for voters.

"I think there's no question that Alexi Giannoulias bears direct personal responsibility for reckless loans that could bankrupt the Broadway Bank," Kirk said of the Democratic U.S. Senate nominee. "I also worry that the possible collapse of the Broadway Bank will leave taxpayers left paying for Alexi's reckless loans."

Kirk's comments came after the Tribune reported Sunday that the bank's chief executive, Demetris Giannoulias, said the family must raise at least $85 million by the end of April to prevent a government seizure of the financial institution. Demetris Giannoulias is the older brother of Alexi Giannoulias.

This should surprise no one. This will be a main issue in the campaign. It isn't going away. It's nearly impossible for Giannoulias to minimize it, and so it's hard to see how he'll win in November.