A couple of days ago I put up a piece saying that I was looking into the biography of Joe Miller, the teabagger and Sarah Palin anointed challenger to incumbent Republican Lisa Murkowski for an Alaskan seat in the U.S. Senate.
The gist is that the guys official biography contains some interesting arithmetic. The timeline just seemed thin to me.
But, first, I should point out for the record that his academic credentials do check out:
- He did receive a Bachelor's of Science degree from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and was a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army in 1989.
- He did receive his Juris Doctorate from Yale, class of '95 and was shortly thereafter admitted to the bar in Alaska.
- He did receive a Master's of Science degree in Economics from the University of Alaska in 2008.
Here's my problem. Born on May 10, 1967, he claims that by the time he was 30 (1997), he had achieved the JD and was named youngest Magistrate ever in Alaska.
Fine, that would mean that from the time he graduated West Point – June 1989 – did his post graduate soldier training, called Basic Officer Leaders Course (about 20 weeks in 1989) then getting his first combat assignment, getting sent to Desert Shield/Storm in 1990-91where he is awarded a Bronze Star, then goes to Yale and gets his JD in 1995.
1989 to 1995... six years, in which a chunk of that was in the Gulf. Moreover, he had a commitment to the U.S. Army from 1989 to 1994 – five years – in exchange for a college education, three squares and roof over his head at (most) nights.
Yale, is a three-year JD program. For a 1995 JD he would have had to have started in 1993. It is possible that he was part of the military's Send-A-Law-Student-To-Law-School program. However, that requires a three year hitch in the JAG once you get your bar card.
There is no mention of him anywhere serving the in JAG corps and his bio even states that he went to work for a private law firm in Anchorage immediately after school, even establishing residence in the state in 1994, apparently while still at Yale, himself being originally from Illinois.
Of course, beyond confirming the West Point graduation and commission, I can't confirm any of the rest of his military service. To access his records, I would need to know his Social Security/Service Number, which I don't.
I'm not saying it's impossible, maybe he was injured in service and was out early, all though being a disabled vet or a Purple Heart winner clearly seems to be something this guy would mention.
So, as I said, I'm not saying it's impossible... I'm just saying the timing looks thin to me...
mojo sends
