THIS TV COMMERCIAL ON KERRY and the Iraq prison abuse case is pretty brutal. I don’t think it’s unfair, though. He may wish he’d stuck to his original, sensible statement.

I’m also amazed just how fast they can get these things out.

UPDATE: A reader writes:

Brutal, yes, but as you say, not unfair.

Glenn, the Kerry people do themselves no favors by highlighting this, as Kerry’s past has too much stuff in it along these lines.

Well, it’s harsh. But Kerry accused his fellow soldiers of war crimes — after he returned from Vietnam. That’s a lot less courage than was displayed by the U.S. soldier who complained to his superiors about abuses at Abu Ghraib, resulting in an investigation that got his commanding general relieved in January — months before this issue went public. Which is why Kerry’s latest complaints about the Administration moving “slowly” on this are so utterly pathetic. That I had just finished praising him for his earlier, more sensible remarks just makes me feel like a sucker.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Okay, in the cold light of morning, maybe it is a bit unfair. But — and this is the point Kerry’s campaign needs to grasp — not at all unexpected. Call me crazy, but I don’t think Vietnam is a good “brand” in a Presidential election.