Saletan on Dean

Wlliam Saletan's Slate column, Takes One To Know One - In the chutzpah war, Dean has Bush's draft number is interesting, but does not answer the question which is poses, which is "is Dean nuts?" to challenge a sitting President on defense issues, especially a wartime president. Saletan attempts to answer by way of comparison to Bush, his Air National Guard record, and the way that Bush treated with McCain in the primaries last go 'round on defense.

A few key thought come to mind. 1) A governer v. a sitting wartime president is different than a governor v. a senator, both of whom are seeking a nomination--hence, part of Saletan's analogy is flawed, 2) getting a deferment and going skiing is not the same as serving in the Ait National Guard, so that part of the analogy is flawed as well.

However, to answer Saletan's question re directly: no, Dean isn't nuts. This line of attack will serve Dean well, at least in the primaries. I have serious doubts, however, as to whether it will work in the general election campaign (indeed, I suspect it will not).