Liberal columnist Thomas Oliphant tries to defend Kerry by saying that he saw him throw his medals/ribbons away in 1971 and that Kerry never said anything different. Oliphant just doesn't get it. the question isn't whether he threw them or not. It's how he's shaded the story according to the political moment. In 1971 he played up throwing away his medals. Then later, he switched his story and said, it wasn't the medals, but the ribbons plus the medals of a couple other guys that he threw away. Then he denied that he ever claimed to have thrown away his medals. Then he said he would have thrown away his medals but didn't have time to go fetch them. (How much time elapsed between the protestors conceiving the idea th throw away their medals and the actual act? Enough time for a quick flight up to Boston, perhaps?) Then a video clip emerged on ABC of his claiming to have thrown away his medals in 1971. Now, he says that ribbons and medals are the same thing and it's just a ploy of the evilRepublicanattackmachine. It's always the coverup that gets them.

Everyone is having fun with Kerry. Here is The New York Post.

Kerry himself has made his Vietnam service - and his leadership of the anti-war protests - the centerpiece of his candidacy. It's what defines his character, says his campaign.

So if he's got a credibility problem on this issue, what does this say about his credibility on everything else?

Actually, this is becoming par for the course for the man who would be president.

Just last week, he did a similar verbal dance around the issue of SUVs. "I don't own an SUV," he declared, while stressing his support for higher fuel-economy standards.

Which brought the question: Then what's that gas-guzzler parked in your driveway? It's his wife's, he replied: "The family has it. I don't own it."

Gee, senator, have you ever driven the "family" SUV? Or do you refuse, on principle, even to set foot in the car?

While you're at it, got any thoughts on the meaning of "is"?

I don't think yesterday's campaigning is the stuff which reverses polls.