During the 2000 presidential campaign, and particularly during the 2004 campaign, President Bush’s rather thin military resume (he served honorably, but he didn’t serve long) was the source of constant scrutiny from the media.  But with Obama’s announcement of Joe Biden as his running mate we find ourselves with the first presidential ticket from either party that doesn’t have a day of military service.

In the 2004 election President Bush, as I’ve already mentioned, served in the Texas Air National Guard and John Kerry made much of his now-infamous service on a swift boat in Vietnam.

In the 1992, 1996 and 2000 elections Al Gore was on the Democrat ticket and he served in the Army.  For Republicans, in 1988 and 1992 George Bush Sr. (a WWII veteran) was on the ticket.  In 1996 Bob Dole (also a WWII veteran decorated with two purple hearts and a bronze star) was on the ticket.

Michael Dukakis, the Democrat candidate in 1988, served in the Army in Korea.

I could keep going, but you get the point.  It’s been a long, long time since we’ve had a Presidential ticket without at least one candidate having some military experience.  If that’s ever happened before.  I certainly haven’t been able to find an example, though my search hasn’t been exhaustive.

So why isn’t the media mentioning this oddity of Presidential politics?  After all, Bush’s service seemed to matter to much to them in 2004.  Why not Obama/Biden’s lack of service in 2008?