The American Spectator

Since I spend a lot of time in this space explaining how Andrew Sullivan is wrong, it’s worth acknowledging when he gets something exactly right:

What Kerry said he must apologize for. Sooner rather than later. He may not have meant it the way it came out. That doesn’t matter. It’s wrong to talk about the military that way - wrong morally, empirically and ethically. And the way he said it can be construed as a patronizing snub to the men and women whose lives are on the line. It’s also dumb politically not to kill this off in one news cycle. Is Kerry not content to lose just one election? Does his enormous ego have to insist on losing two?

Meanwhile, Tom Maguire carefully explains (scroll down to “FROM HOTLINE:”) why, while it’s probably true that Kerry merely botched a Bush-is-dumb joke, it’s not crazy to think that Kerry might say something that meant exactly what it sounded like he meant. Maguire’s argument is bolstered by the various lefties who have reacted to this by saying things that sound a lot like “well of course people in the military are less educated than regular people like you and me.”

Those with long memories will remember a flap about a decade ago when Donna Shalala said that those who served in Vietnam weren’t “the best and the brightest sons.” The condescending view of the military as a victim class runs deep on the left, and those who hold it are often baffled when it makes people angry.