Back in 2004 I saw a documentary called GOING UPRIVER: THE LONG WAR OF JOHN KERRY, and I was struck by how unbelievably passionate and authentic Kerry was in his twenties. I remember thinking that THAT was the man I wanted as my candidate, not the wooden, triangulating automaton of the modern era. More than that, though, I was overwhelmed with sadness at how we have let Vietnam Vets (and I know they are not a monolithic group--I mean the majority of them, or perhaps the stereotypical ones, or maybe it's just the loud ones) hijack the discussion about Vietnam and in the process erase all the nuance, all the thoughtful insight that some other Vets had brought home. John Kerry's work to stop the war after he came home was as honorable as anything a man can do on this earth, and for all the right reasons, including the health and safety of his fellow vets. But he was brave enough, and politically incorrect enough, to include the whole picture, grisly behavior of American soldiers notwithstanding.

I don't like the second-guessing of McCain's post-war actions that came toward the end of this essay. His service is unimpeachable and his unwavering stance against torture is his version of the honorable work that Kerry did. They both deserve credit for coming away with some semblance of humanity and a commitment to make themselves and us better for their seemingly irredeemable experience. As far as McCain's work to normalize relations with Vietnam, well, that's how foreign policy goes--you get all the information you can, you put thoughtful, invested people in charge, and you choose the path that seems best. I imagine some kind of hostile relations with Vietnam, ala Cuba, would be in nobody's best interest.

It's human nature to rationalize our own past decisions. People do it all the time, regarding parenting, career decisions, relationships, schooling, whatever. Nobody wants to think what they did was a waste of time or health or sanity, not to mention reflective of poor judgment or just plain immoral. The last bastion of political correctness in this country is praising every soldier as a hero, regardless of his or her actions or motivation. Nobody is allowed to question, even circumspectly, whether a particular war, especially a current or recent one, was a good idea because it shatters the participants, stripping them of their sense that their contribution was meaningful. I wish more of them would see how much more meaningful their contribution would be to America if they would stop clinging defensively to the worthiness of their own experience--battle, war, torture, chaos, desperate struggle for survival, or even mindlessly numbing boredom amidst endless desert vista--and instead showcase that experience as the devastating indication that America's recent wars have been immoral and a waste of blood and treasure. Why don't they take up that cause?

As a final point, this piece has the faintest hint of a hit job on John McCain, ala Swift Boat Vets Against John Kerry. I want no part of it. I want to pick on McCain for all his legitimate flaws, including his support for the Iraq War, not for his Vietnam record and subsequent related work.