The Coward of Pennsylvania Avenue

Josh Marshall on George W. Bush in “Bush’s National Guard Years: His Moral Cowardice Has Guided Him All Along” in The Hill:

On the balance sheet of moral bravery — as opposed to physical bravery — John Kerry and George W. Bush were about as far apart as you could be on Vietnam. On the one hand, you have Kerry, who already had doubts about whether we should be fighting in Vietnam before he went but put his life on the line anyway. On the other hand, you have Bush, who supported the war, which means he believed the goal was worth the cost in American lives. Only, not his life. He believed others should go, just not him.

That is almost the definition of moral cowardice. And it’s a trait he continues to display as he smears other people’s meritorious service (John McCain, Kerry, et al.) without taking responsibility for what he’s doing. He gets other people to do his dirty work for him.