In all honesty I think we need a little sense of humor on these issues and I think we should try to be somewhat fair.

First these are not defining issues. Both are pretty much meant to make the guy involved look bad. I think we can all agree on that.

Now, I'll start with Bush and the Guard because I believe that issue is a bit more complex. I think the Bush people and wonderboy Rove are doing a lousy job handling this. This is playing a big part in why the story has got legs and the weak shots fired back so far at Kerry are just not where they should be going. Let's look at what we know is true on this issue:

1. Bush was in the Guard.

2. He was in the Guard to avoid Vietnam.

3. The National Guard does not have an issue with his service.

4. Terry and some Democrats (not Kerry) are milking this for all it's worth.

5. The Bush people are dancing around on this thing rather than being upfront. The more you dance the worse you look.

6. The media due to the dancing believe they've got something and won't let go.

7. It should not be lost that all this should have been covered the first time Bush ran and it's obvious this is hot and heavy right now because we're in an election year.

Now looking at all this it's clear that Bush and company are as guilty as the Democrats of keeping this story alive. Why they haven't just come up with a clear statement on the issue is beyond me. Why not just say "Yes, I went into the Guard to avoid Vietnam because I didn't believe in that war. The National Guard has no problems with my service and signed off that I met my obligations." 

We know that those statements are true so then the press and Democrats could not attack that and maybe the story would die a little.  It might not be politically good to admit he wanted to avoid Vietnam but I think a lot of people Jane Fonda included could understand that. Why not say "Hey how come you guys waited till now to get so hot and bothered about my record in the Guard?"

The Kerry scandal is another story because it certainly now looks as if it was invented and is not based on any facts...which is the big difference here. The Bush scandal is based around something that really happened...his service in the Guard. The Kerry scandal is a fabrication and that makes it far more disgusting than the Bush deal. You could argue that  Terry and some Dem's are behaving in a disgusting manner but the facts around the deal and Bushco's poor ways of dealing with it are making it much  worse than it should be.

Is that agreeable?