Arguably, these beliefs appeared present among both major political parties for most of the last century. It’s difficult to argue that President Truman or President Kennedy were, in any significant sense, “anti-war” or “anti-military.”

Yet, things seemed to change among the Democratic party during the Viet Nam war. Cynicism and pessimism crept in, and doubts of America’s prowess became core beliefs for many.

But even at the high point of Viet Nam, the anti-war, anti-military worldview did not play well during Democratic Nominee George McGovern’s 1972 campaign against Republican President Richard Nixon. But unfortunate seeds were sewn back then, and they are producing some ugly fruit today.

Today, our country suffers the embarrassment of the likes of U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) appearing uncertain as to how to respond when asked about the Move-On Dot Org advertisement. Either politically unwilling or personally unable to clearly condemn a smear campaign against an Army General, Durbin commented that the advertisement displayed a “poor choice of words,” but then made the matter all relative, stating that “even the best of us can occasionally get tangled up in a poor choice of words.”

Fortunately, a majority of Americans still do not embrace the left’s hostility toward our service men and women.

And whether or not they trust the President or the Congress at any given time, they still respect and trust the military top brass.