Conn. U.S. Senate / "Wrestling With The Truth"

Connecticut's U.S. Senate race has turned into a showdown of "wrestling" with the truth.

State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal was an absolute shoo-in to succeed retiring Sen. Christopher Dodd, who had encountered health problems and some questions of financial proprieties.

A Democrat set to assume a Democratic seat, Blumenthal sailed through token opposition in a Primary and seemed unstoppable until a sensational front page report in the New York Times revealed that he had lied about his Marine service - claiming that he had been in Viet Nam when, in fact, he never was.

The blow to Blumenthal - who, as Attorney General, had great pride in and a stellar reputation for absolute honesty as the top law enforcement official in the state - was enormous.

Linda McMahon - who had worked with her husband to make millions from their WWE ( World Wresting Entertainment ) shows, spent a fortune to secure the Republican nomination and has continued her extreme outlay for the November election - pounced on Blumenthal's remarkable lack of integrity, character and grace.

The race is now a toss-up - and a dog fight.

In their first two debates, the candidates faced off on a wide variety of topics  :  Is political experience ( McMahon has none ) the mark of an insider ?  /  How important is business experience in political office during troubled economic times ? /  McMahon's claim that she can create jobs vs. WWE's outsourcing to China  /  Health Care Reform / Federal Stimulus Programmes and tax cuts for the middle class.

While Democrats seem safe in maintaining their majority in the Senate, Blumenthal's putting what was a safe seat into play is a drain of resources that could have gone to other candidates in fiercely competitive races and most unfortunate in terms of the party's strategy and image.

Connecticut's Senate scuffle will add even more excitement to an already fascinating Election Night.