"This current circus is cute, and somewhat amusing, but it really has no bearing on the future of this country."
It's interesting how different perceptions are. I don't find this circus cute nor amusing, but I know that a lack of credibility is plaguing this Presidency. Because this story hinges on the Administration's transparency and credibility in the present, and because this administration, now seeking 4 more years in power, has made radical departures in policy, it clearly has immense bearing on the future of this country.
I think that Kerry's Vietnam experience has far more parallels with the American majority than does that of GW Bush. That Kerry served with patriotism and even ruthlessness, and then arrived at and stood by the conclusion that the Vietman War was a national mistake, is far closer to the national center than is what we know of young GW Bush's experience.
I don't consider the desire to dismiss this story so much logical as it is just fatigue, disgust, and cynicism about morally disappointing politicians and the seemingly endless scandals that recur around them. Through the tawdry Clinton impeachment, most Americans seem to have missed the whole point, that a blow job was not the crime at all, but instead the deceitful reaction to the perhaps unwarranted witch hunt. What a priveleged young W actually did all those years ago is far less important than a present White House that seems intent on censoring his records to conceal something.
If Americans fully participate in democracy by learning the issues, debating them, and voting, but do not diligently insist on accountability in government, the entire activity is a charade.