You would have thought that if the issue of who
served under fire during the Vietnam War became a big deal at this
point in the presidential campaign, it would be a major advantage to
John Kerry. After all, there is no dispute that Kerry served in
Vietnam's combat zones while both President Bush and Vice President
Cheney avoided the war. Bush served stateside in the National Guard
(it's still not clear how much of his duty time he missed) and Cheney
avoided the military altogether. The hawkish veep has explained
blithely, "I had other priorities in the '60s than military service."
Republicans insisted that military service was an important criterion
for leadership when Bill Clinton ran against the elder George Bush and
former senator Bob Dole, war veterans both. But the Republican attack
maestros were never as interested in service as they were in taking and
holding power. So now it's Bush supporters, through a front group,
attacking the war veteran -- much as they attacked Vietnam hero John
McCain during the Republican primaries four years ago when McCain dared
to challenge Bush. This episode is a great test of how politics work in
our country. It is, first, a test of George W. Bush. [more ]
]