Payback is hell, Senator

Both Powerline and Captain Ed are enjoying themselves over Sen. Mark Dayton's whining about not being invited on a trip to Iraq.

They should.

Dayton's decision to close his Washington office in the face of nebulous terrorist threats was a disgrace.

Captain Ed points to specific instances where Dayton toed the anti-war line and hammered the Pentagon about sending such inappropriate items as tanks to Iraq.

The good Senator is just beginning to figure it out, and the Posse is happy to offer him a clue:  You cannot simultaneously hammer the military as baby-killers and also claim you "support the troops."

It doesn't work.  No one buys it.

If you want to be anti-war, if you want to second-guess our military leadership and constantly pick on our troops and the motives of their commander, you will ultimately be branded for what you are:  anti-military.

In that case, do not expect cheerful photo-ops of yourself smiling and greeting local soldiers.

Do not expect the Pentagon to help you in any way shape or form burnish your credentials as being strong on national defense.

And above all else, do not expect the men and women in uniform to give you the tiniest bit of respect.

If you are going to be a born-again hippie, be one.

Tom Daschle found out that eventually your two faces slit apart.

John Kerry was able to get away with the "I love the military/I hate the military" game for decades only because he actually served in combat - and because the truth of that service and his lies about remained well-hidden. 

Once the truth came out over the Web, that straddle became impossible to sustain.

Payback is hell, Senator.  Yours is only beginning.