Amos- You're not the one who's a lame duck - incumbent bashing you're oppponent's service, awards, protests, etc. I don't necessarily think that Bush is a coward. But there's a certain amount of selflessness that I expect out of my presidents. They're supposed to be serving the citizens of the United States (not just the people who got them elected). To say that he took the Nat'l guard as his service would be fine if he had fulfilled his service agreement (which he didn't by deciding not to fly regardless of what he did afterward). To say the he stood up for what he believed in and protested against the war would be fine as well in my eyes. I believe he has been groomed for political office for years and the route he took allowed him to avoid both getting killed in Vietnam and being seen as a radical. Things are so black and white for him until it comes to him.