How many times do you want them to beat that dead horse. They looked into his record and found nothing inflammatory, but nothing really exceptional either.

In one of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Holmes solved the case based on the "dog that did not bark." The Press has looked into Bush's military record extensively, both this year and back in 2000. The fact that they're not showing any indication of doing the same for Kerry shows how biased they are. The Press is the dog that did not bark. They're not barking at Kerry because they want him to win. If they examined Kerry's record (the full one, not the subset that he has released) with a fourth the rigor that they showed with Bush, Kerry would fall like a house of cards.

More and more, Kerry is coming across as a "Barstool Commando", someone whose actual service pales in comparison to the stories he tells. I've had the good fortune to have known quite a few combat vets. It's rare for any of them to talk about their experiences, at least not until they believe you're someone they can trust. As Ralph Peters wrote, Heros Don't Shout.

Finally — and this is the one the pundits have trouble grasping, given the self-promoting nature of today's culture — real heroes don't call themselves heroes. Honorable soldiers or sailors don't brag. They let their deeds speak for themselves. Some of the most off-putting words any veteran can utter are "I'm a war hero."

Real heroes (and I've been honored to know some) never portray their service in grandiose terms, telling TV cameras that they're reporting for duty. Real heroes may be proud of the sacrifices they offered, but they don't shout for attention.

This is so profoundly a part of the military code of behavior that it cannot be over-emphasized. The rule is that those who brag about being heroes usually aren't heroes at all. Bragging is for drunks at the end of the bar, not for real vets. And certainly not for anyone who wishes to trade on his service to become our commander-in-chief.

I wish Kerry were better. The truth is that I'm appalled by Bush's domestic policies. I believe that the Cheney-Halliburton connection stinks to high heaven. And I'm convinced that Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld & Co. have done colossal damage to our military and to our foreign policy.

But we're at war. And for all his faults, Bush has proven himself as a great wartime leader. Despite painful mistakes, he's served our security needs remarkably well. And security trumps all else in the age of terror.

Kerry says many of the right things. But I can't believe a word of it. I just can't trust John Kerry. I can't trust him to lead, I can't trust him to fight — and I can't trust him to make the right kind of peace.

I have reservations about voting for George W. Bush. But I have no reservations about voting against John Kerry. And I'm not alone.