The ironic thing in all this is that Vietnam was a Democrat war.

Dole then pointed out that the number of U.S. casualties in "Democrat wars" was roughly equal to the population of Detroit.

The device was a favorite of the far right during the McCarthy period, and I seem to remember hearing the phrase "Democrat wars" in 1976.

No one talked of "Democrat wars" or compared himself to John F. Kennedy.

There was another spike in 1976, when grumpy, growly Bob Dole denounced "Democrat wars" (those were the days!)

For years we had heard how fiercely he scowled when he talked of "Democrat wars."

For good measure, he threw in his famous gibe about 1.6 million Americans being killed and wounded in "Democrat wars in this century."

That debate is remembered chiefly for Mr. Dole's comment that all the wars of this century were "Democrat wars."

One is the churlish partisan who can belittle as a "Democrat war" the struggle against Hitler in which his own right arm was shattered.

The reference to "Democrat wars," suggested by Ford strategists, provoked a furor.