Good points from a surprising source...

Of all the petty conceits that comprise George W. Bush's personality, the ones that I've found most offensive as a citizen and a veteran are his apparent pride in being a 'war president' and his boast that he brought the country to 'a war footing.' We may be at war, but it's a stretch to say that he presides over the effort, and if he does, 'war criminal' might be a more accurate label, given the ongoing disclosures about the conduct of the war. As far as his 'war footing' claims go, the Wall Street Journal's Mark Helprin exposes that lie with a few simple facts.

"The president failed to go to Congress on September 12 to ask for a declaration of war, failed to ask Congress when he did go before it for the tools with which to fight, and has failed consistently to ask the American people for sacrifice. And yet their sons, mainly, are sacrificed in Iraq day by day."

Helprin is wrong about any number of things in his most recent Opinion Journal column, (hey, it is the WSJ), but he's absolutely right about that. And about this.

"When soldiers are killed because they do not have equipment (in the words of a returning officer, "not enough vehicles, not enough munitions, not enough medical supplies, not enough water"), when reservists are retained for years, and rotations canceled, it is the consequence of a fiscal policy that seems more attuned to the electoral landscape of 2004 than to the national security of the United States."

John Kerry offered Bush the opportunity to pay for his war during the $87 billion funding round, and Bush steadfastly refused, with the aid and comfort of the Congressional chickenhawks. The American people stand ready to make sacrifice and contribution if the cause can be justified, and the Administration reponse is 'go shopping' (if you can afford the gas for your trip to Walmart).

Bush dishonors our national resolve and in so doing disables our nation's warriors in the midst of a battle he ordered.

It's worse than a conceit. It's a disgrace.