Me, patriotic? Absolutely.

There's been an ongoing discussion between Armed Liberal and Jeff Cooper on the nature of Democratic patriotism. I don't want to get involved in the nitty-gritty of the discussion, but today there was mention of Dukakis's disastrous PR stunt in 1988 when he was photographed in a tank. Cooper seems to think this is one cause of the popular idea that Democrats are unpatriotic.

I barely remember the incident (I was ten years old) but I ask: why isn't Bush's consistent failure to show up for National Guard duty ever used to point to Republican lack of patriotism? After all, the facts of Bush's frequent absences are well known, and there was evidence to suggest that he had records removed from Camp Mabry in Austin when he was Governor of Texas. I have never heard a Republican question Bush's decidedly unpatriotic behavior, let alone condemn it. Yet my opposition to the administration's policies in Iraq is considered unpatriotic.

I find the sanctimonious preaching coming from Republican circles about supporting the president and the war irritating at best and hypocritical at worst. Principled and informed opposition is patriotic in and of itself.