James Taranto, the wit who edits Opinion Journal.com, has been having a grand old time teasing Kerry about his chest-beating boasts of service in Vietnam. This past week, reports have begun to surface that the senator's boasts might be highly exaggerated. It appears he only served four more months in Vietnam than the 90 percent of the men of his generation who did not serve there at all.
Some critics are dredging up evidence that the senator's decorations were more the consequence of his political skills than his military heroics. Actually, I doubt these critics. Thus far, Kerry's demonstrated political skills do not appear to be that good. If he continues to drone on about the he-man he was three decades ago, he may achieve the hitherto unthinkable effect of rendering combat service laughable.
As this campaign runs on, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the junior senator from Massachusetts is something of a cad. That he allowed and at times seemed to encourage talk that President George W. Bush, an F-102 pilot in the Texas National Guard, had three decades ago been AWOL and a "deserter" was shameful. His treatment of his opponents has been graceless. His lapses into artless circumlocutions and dissembling suggest an essential meanness in the man.
Kerry talks about wanting to keep the presidential debate on a high plane, addressing issues rather than personalities, but he is forever lapsing into boasts about himself and belittlement of his opponents. Having reviewed his life and all its unlovely manipulations, I suggest he stick to the high plan as best he can. It is only a matter of time before wags suggest to him that he could close the federal budget deficit that so alarms him by marrying yet another rich wife.