Of all the things that have dampened my enthusiasm for Rudy—none of which, obviously, has dampened it sufficiently to make me prefer another candidate—this was the dampeningest one.

I recently heard an NR colleague (who I hope will correct me if I mis-heard) say something like this: “I asked Rudy why he had not served in the armed forces, in spite of having been classified 1-A for draft purposes [twice, apparently!—JD]. He seemed puzzled by the question, as if it was a thing he’d never been asked, and never expected to be asked. After a meditative pause, he just said it was something he’d never thought of doing.”

Now, I’m not much impressed by “chickenhawk” arguments, as I’ve said many times here. Rudy’s not having served is far from being a deal-breaker for me. Still… he never thought of it? Not even around 1968, when—at age 24—he got his classification? Hmm.

Say what you like about Ron Paul, but when his number came up, he served.