Is taking part in a war or being in the army the only way to serve your country? (And to choose your president?)

Forgive me for not making myself very clear. I for one do not think that the only way to serve your country is to serve in a combat arm of the military. In fact I believe that some folks should stay as far away from the military as possible.

However, when I interview candidates for a job in the private sector and they claim on their resume to be a "Perl Guru" I am going to challenge them on their statement. How much Perl do they really know?

In both Bush's case and Kerry's case they made some hay over their military records as if they had done wonderfully in their service to their country.

Where Kerry is concerned I think that somewhere between the statements he has made and the statements that his detractors have made lies the real truth.

If the allegations about Bush being AWOL from his National Guard commitments are even half true then he is not exactly fit for command either.

If neither one of them pointed to their service records then I'd see other issues with both of them that earn my contempt for the. Kerry's inability to take a stand and stick with it and Bush's bullheaded and heavy handed approach to things being examples.

I have some very strong ideas about what makes a leader and neither man impresses me in that regard.

But, it is all moot now. Bush is in, Kerry is out. We get 4 more years of "Jethro the Beverly Hillbilly" instead of "Herman Munster."