Both Tom Harkin and Frank Lautenberg used the sophism in attacking Dick Cheney.

But don't question the left's patriotism!

UPDATE: Hugh Hewitt writes, "Reprehensible enough for you? Hypocritical in the extreme considering Lautenberg's support for Bill Clinton? Historically asinine given FDR's role as war time leader of greatness?"

How to explain the Lautenberg melt-down? Well, many, many callers and e-mailers who heard me play the speech think he was drunk. I don't. I think he is acting in concert with a desperate Kerry campaign. But Lautenberg, like Kerry, has zero understanding of the American people. They have breathed deep the MoveOn.org swamp gas, and they have become as unbalanced as Dean.

In 1976, Bob Dole, serving as Gerald Ford's vice president, was widely attacked by the press for churlishly referring to the 20th century's four "Democrat Wars"--the two World Wars, Korea and Vietnam--because our involvement in each war was initiated by a Democratic President.

Watch Lautenberg and Harkin's remarks to go virtually uncommented on by the traditional chattering classes.