During the last great American anti-war protest it was my jenna-ray-shee-un, Baby Boomers, at the core of the movement.  Hippie dropouts and leftist activists, many of which were perennial college boys (Bill Clinton comes to mind) desperately sought student deferments to avoid fighting alongside the likes of John McCain. 

On the Eve of Induction many a peacenik opted for an extended vacation in the Great White North over servitude in the US armed forces.  Being true to history, it was a happy day for this renegade scribe when 286 came up as my personal Selective Service Lottery number.

In Viet Nam Era presidential politics, high-visibility protesters always had media momentum going for them. Nonetheless, they were continually disappointed by the success of more hawkish candidates that appealed to the so-called Silent Majority in so-called Middle America.

Even President Lyndon Johnson, landslide victor in 1964 over conservative Barry Goldwater and creator of a liberal government model dubbed The Great Society, was demonized by peaceniks for his failure to end the war.  Enough protest pressure was put on LBJ to make him say no mas and forego a run for another full term.

Although, thankfully, the daily street riots are missing this time around, anti-war protest is back with a vengeance in 2008. Tie-dye-white-hair Boomers that have always been unable to put the activist failures of their youth to rest, including many well-known entertainment and news media types, have long made protest their avocation.

No longer physically capable of clashing with helmeted police, those Boomers have coalesced with disillusioned youth, first-time voters and gender/ethnicity/sexual preference-oriented activists and are, in unison, chanting a new mantra.  Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's "om" word for 2008 is CHAAAAAAYNGE.

This coalition's presidential candidate, having perfected a rhetorical technique that minimizes shrillness and stridency -- particularly brilliant in light of the demeanor and faux emotionalism of his opponent for the Democrat Party nomination -- has become famous for no other accomplishments but his inspiring oratory, his steadfast opposition to our military presence in Iraq and his overuse of the aforementioned meditative buzzword.

However, in spite of the growing popularity of the coalition's phenom, peacenik Boomers may again be thwarted in their quest to get their own president elected.  There are significant differences between the two unpopular wars that they have opposed:

 *  The "then" enemy was half a world away and, for the most part, was invisible to American civilians.  There was plenty of TV coverage of the war in Southeast Asia but you had to live in or near a major metropolitan area to see most of it clearly.  The Internet had not yet been invented by Al Gore who, we have been told, was an embedded journalist in Viet Nam his pre-political life.

 *  The "now" enemy has attacked us on our own soil and, even those who choose not to pay attention to news and intelligence reports about that enemy, are reminded of his intentions each time they visit an airport, national landmark or government building.  For many, that is daily.

 *  Reluctant draftees fought in the "then" war while the "now" armed forces are manned entirely by volunteers.   There are many accounts of troops that have re-upped in order to return or continue to "finish the job".

 *  To a great extent "now" soldiers are buoyed by their successes in Iraq and Afghanistan while those who fought in Southeast Asia were demoralized by failure during their tours of duty.

 *  Our "now" military is respected by the majority of Americans from all demographic segments (except, of course, the left). "Then" soldiers were vilified by their draft-dodging contemporaries and were treated poorly by much of the general population when they returned.

 *  "Then" there was virtually no conservative representation anywhere in the news/entertainment media.  "Now" there are millions who listen to radio's most popular format each day to hear and express an alternative message to that of the liberal press.

It may not be possible for either presidential candidate to bridge the current Generation Gap to the extent necessary to insure victory.  However, the final bullet point above heralds the Geritol™ that could invigorate My Generation to vote for one of its own while giving the entire age range of Silent Majority voters a clear-choice candidate to rally behind.

Now it's up to the talkers to do the country "a solid" before America takes a dangerous sharp turn to the left.

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