CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS’ PIECE from last week looks prophetic now:

Comes the next question—should it only be veterans or potential veterans who have a voice in these matters? If so, then what’s so bad about American Legion types calling Kerry a traitor to his country? The Democrats have made a rod for their own backs in uncritically applauding their candidate’s ramrod-and-salute posture. They have also implicitly subverted one of the most important principles of the republic, which is civilian control over military decisions.

Choosing Kerry as the Democratic nominee was a mistake. Choosing to campaign this way was a disaster. It’ll be a disaster even if he wins. And it didn’t have to be that way.