Will military voters stick to their guns?

As we get farther from the vice-presidential debate, more details emerge about the litany of outright lies Vice President Dick Cheney let fly Tuesday. Newsweek catalogs the dishonesty in this article. I spent much of the day today working on a couple of pieces focused on military voters, and I got to thinking about the standards of integrity within the military and the standards of integrity within the Bush administration. Every year, otherwise worthy cadets and midshipmen are disenrolled from America's service academies for honor code violations that pale in comparison to Cheney's lack of integrity. (For a good sense of the intense scrutiny and high standards of honesty demanded at the service academies, read David Lipsky's book "Absolutely American.")

When Clinton was president, military people who were less than enamored with him would argue disparagingly that the commander-in-chief ought to be held to the same standards of conduct and integrity as the men and women in uniform under his command. This kind of leadership by example is a deep and important part of military culture. I can't help wonder if military voters this time around also will hold the Bush administration accountable for its growing list of lies. According to the latest Military Times voter survey, military voters still strongly prefer Bush to Kerry, although Kerry is doing better than Gore did, and his numbers seem to be growing. The survey isn't scientific and it over-samples likely Republicans and under-samples likely Democrats. But it's still an interesting data point. Respondents ranked character just behind the war in Iraq among the most important issues affecting their choice. Will military voters quibble and look for ways to rationalize Cheney’s dishonesty? Or will they hold him to the same standards of integrity they are expected to uphold?