Although Bob Dole‘s 1996 presidential campaign was one of the worst of the past quarter-century, he was an outstanding senator and is a great American. In today’s Wall Street Journal, Mr. Dole weighs in insightfully on recent criticism of President Bush’s military service:

On Fox News recently, my friend John Kerry stated: “I’ve never made any judgments about any choice somebody made about avoiding the draft, about going to Canada, going to jail, being a conscientious objector, going into the National Guard.”
Sen. Kerry did make a judgment, in 1992, when Bill Clinton — who did not serve — was running against Sen. Bob Kerrey, a Vietnam veteran. After Bob Kerrey criticized Gov. Clinton, John Kerry said, “We do not need to divide America over who served and how.” He should stick to his previous position by acknowledging the honorable service of President Bush and the hundreds of thousands of other National Guard members defending America every day. The president piloted an F-102 in the National Guard and received an honorable discharge when his requirements were met.
Democratic Party Chairman Terry McAuliffe also said last Sunday that service in the National Guard wasn’t service “in the military.”
These attacks are offensive. Service in the National Guard is one of the finest things any citizen can do, and there are tens of thousands of guardsmen and women serving our country today all over the world. Thousands are serving in Iraq, and some of those have made the supreme sacrifice in the service of their country.
It should be incumbent upon presidential candidates to disavow accusations that have no proof or substance behind them. Gen. Wesley Clark learned the price of irresponsibility the hard way as thousands of voters deserted him in the weeks since he intimated President Bush might have been a deserter. Enough.
Sen. Kerry is a war hero, but if campaigns were about war records, I would have won easily in 1996. Campaigns are about issues, and the candidates of both parties owe the American people a compelling vision for the future of America.

In a related Seattle Times editorial, Collin Levey makes the accurate point that, among a political candidate’s attributes, military service is generally overrated.

The NY Times has put together a blog for the 2004 Presidential Campaign that is continuously updated. It is reported and edited from the Times’ Washington bureau. The “Trail Mix” section highlights issues, candidates, and regions. In the meantime, The Daily Show is maintaining a clever website called “Indecision 2004“, which is a humorous take on the 2004 Presidential campaign. As host comedian Jon Stewart puts it, “We’re to the news what malt liquor is to reality.” Good stuff for you political junkies.