Catherine – Thanks for the kind words.

Sun-Tzu – Great comments. When you asked why any rich folk like John Kerry went to Vietnam, perhaps the answer is obvious now that we’ve seen Senator Kerry’s presentation last night: In order to film self-serving documentary clips for their eventual presidential campaigns.

I wonder if it isn’t to Al Gore’s unending regret that he only took occasional snapshots here and there. Perhaps that senator’s son, still embarrassed by the previous year’s Creedence Clearwater Revival song, refused to request of his father the Super 8 movie camera and amount of film a proper documentary would have required. Proper planning and the lack of a Super 8 camera may well have cost Mr Gore the election. This might be the real story of the 2000 controversy after all. Political advisers, take note.

My advice to all budding ideologues — uh, I mean — political aspirants would be: Don’t skimp or feel sheepish when it comes to documenting your heroic or charitable acts; start as early as possible; make sure you enlist in the military, carefully selecting the branch whose uniforms best complement your physical characteristics; and finally, engage in activities more likely to be regarded favorably by “the other side,” both to neutralize any possible advantage they may claim on the issue, and also to show “your side can do it too,” the implication being, of course, that someone of your side — the superior side, of course — can do it in a superior fashion.