Via Glenn Reynolds, my attention was drawn to an interesting observation by Matthew Continetti of the Weekly Standard:

Bush's opponents don't have a problem with Vietnam analogies. They have a problem with Vietnam analogies that undermine the case for American withdrawal. They see Vietnam as the exclusive property of the antiwar movement.

Perhaps the issue of who "won" is still in dispute, but the way people on the antiwar left are objecting to Bush's Vietnam analogy makes me wonder whether they think that not only was Vietnam a victory, but that it was "theirs."

You could argue that, but as I tried to explain in an earlier post, you'd also have to argue that for the U.S. to lose is good. I disagree:

the constant invocation of the Vietnam theme makes me wonder whether the "should have" people just plain want the United States to lose.

The fact is the "should have" people who harp on Vietnam never portray Vietnam as a war we should have won, or could have won, or as providing lessons on tactical mistakes. They see it as a lesson in defeat, and as a well deserved defeat at that! What kind of people look back on their country's defeat with pride, and want it to happen again?

I'm not saying defeat can't be seen as a lesson, but I think it needs to be remembered that the United States was not defeated militarily in Vietnam. It was a post-war political defeat, accomplished by the enemy after a peace treaty had been signed and the U.S. had pulled out. True, the U.S. failed to go back in to enforce the treaty, but what is the lesson there?

Geez, the way they're acting you'd almost think this touched on identity politics, by way of a cultural narrative.

No, that can't be right, because these are just political opinions, and not lifestyle issues or minority group status or anything....

I mean, otherwise, there'd be no right to disagree with them!

MORE: Does anyone know who owns the Weimar narrative?

Thought I'd ask, because there's a whole lot of claimin' goin' on.

MORE: Via Pajamas Media, here's Howard Kurtz:

Along with hippies, drugs, poverty programs and classic rock, it seems that my generation--and the country--is destined to keep debating Vietnam till the end of our days. President Bush kicked it off again on Wednesday, but he's only the latest to join the party.