In a bitter irony, Vietnam tripped up President Bush tonight without the word AWOL surfacing. Tonight Kerry played a cool Alan Alda to Bush's blustering Larry Linville.
Vietnam spawned the long-running comedy MASH, which dealt with the serious issues of life and death through broadly drawn characters and situations. As the show evolved almost all the characters grew more complex - with one exception, Frank Burns. We always knew he would run his mouth off with racist conspiracy theories, wave a gun around that he could never use and splutter his way through losing arguments with Hawkeye and Trapper John. Eventually the show had to retire the character because knocking him down became like shooting fish in a barrel.
Like Hawkeye, war's horrible impact shaped Kerry's character and courage. And like Burns, war (even today) has not penetrated Bush's fantasy world.
We need to pay the world the same favor that the MASH writers paid their audience and retire Bush as well.
I sent the above letter to various newspapers but I doubt it would see the light of day. But I thought it would share it anyway.
Though I send apologies to the late Larry Linville, a fine actor who doesn't deserve this linkage.