Here’s a quote from John Edwards that sums up exactly how I feel about this, except for a little Cheney-like language that I would probably have let slip:

“Think about this for a minute: He left college, and he volunteered three different ways. First he volunteered for military service. Then he volunteered to serve in Vietnam. And then he volunteered for some of the most dangerous, hazardous duty you could possibly have in Vietnam. As a result, he was wounded multiple times. He won a whole series of medals while he was there. And now—this is an amazing thing—a vice president of the United States who avoided service four, five, six times—I’ve lost count—[and] a president of the United States who can’t account for a year of his national guard service are attacking John Kerry for the medals he won in Vietnam? You have got to be kidding me.”

Here’s a detailed but interesting article describing exactly why our President is a deserter. You may be surprised to hear that I’m no expert in Air Force paperwork, but the argument made seems pretty tight to me. Hey, it even has a conspiracy theory at the end, and one that relies on simplicity rather than wild imaginings.