Democrats need to be united on this point at least

Tapped wonders where the rest of the Democratic field is in the Kerry battle:

HOW ABOUT SOME BACKUP? Now would be a good time for all the Democratic presidential contenders to put out statements supporting John Kerry's comments calling for "regime change" in the U.S. Why? Not just for Kerry's sake, but for their own. The Republicans and their proxies in the conservative press aren't just looking to hurt Kerry; they're seeking to set a standard for criticizing George W. Bush that will make it unacceptable to criticize the incumbent for almost anything. That affects the other Dems, too. (And heck, if none of the other candidates think the U.S. needs a regime change of its own, why on earth are they running for president?) Tapped, incidentally, admires Kerry for standing up to this. We hope he sticks with it and doesn't back down -- and that other Democrats understand the need to defend their own.

I agree. In fact, I would like all the Democratic candidates to issue a joint press release supporting Kerry's right to criticize Bush, even in times of war, and to chastise the Republicans for trying to browbeat the opposition into silence. The precedence this would set would be fantastic for all Democrats and would set back the GOP campaign to make opposition to their policies defacto equivalent to treason. I have to say that, while I am a supporter of Dean, I am a little disappointed that he hasn't made a more concerted effort to defend Kerry against the Republican attacks. His response to it has been tepid at best. And, as far as I know, none of the other candidates have said word one about it.