re: #128 Absalom, Absalom, Obdicut

The whole Rather story irritated me because it was just idiotic anyway. Who cares if he skyved off during his guard service, it was a long time ago. I don’t get this fascination with what people did in their twenties as somehow being ultra-indicative. I am very little like I was in my early 20s, like, I have exact opposite attributes in many ways. It was not a substantial critique, it was a critique of something explicitly insubstantial—Bush as somehow knowledgeable about war and the military—and elevated that issue far above what it should have been.

I can understand why some wanted the story to be true and to be out there. This was back when the Dems were overemphasizing Kerry’s service, and in addition to the Swift Boat Liars For Money, I was hearing some folks on the Right claim that Bush flying Thunderchiefs for the Texas ANG was more dangerous than Kerry being shot at by the Vietcong. It rankled more than a little.