Democrats 2, Electorate 0

Time columnist Joe Klein reveals the Democrats' latest weapon in the upcoming election: veterans. Noting that, "This is Karl Rove's worst nightmare," he reports that 50 Democratic candidates for Congress this year are veterans and that they may "represent the beginning of the Dems' long climb back to credibility on national-security issues."

As if we needed yet more proof that the Democrats are running on empty (in the ideas tank), they are now seeking to hide behind the authority of former soldiers. Given that the 'support the troops' line still goes unquestioned, the Democrats believe they can co-opt some of that legitimacy rather then have to persuade the electorate through the force of their own arguments. And where does it leave the electorate? As Klein makes clear the veterans are unlikely to challenge the broader consensus around the war on terror, "They are not so much antiwar as anti-Bush". He quotes Chris Carney, an ex-Naval Intelligence officer standing in the 10th Congressional District, whose position on the Iraq War will ruffle few feathers on Capitol Hill, "There were no links to 9/11," he told me. "But there were plenty of other contacts with terror groups. I always thought that was a better argument for the war than weapons of mass destruction."

Yet again it seems that our representatives have chosen not to challenge us with the difficult task of picking between two alternatives.