Distracting Discourse, Five Brothers Edition

You know, it really doesn't mean that much in the grand scheme of things whether or not Mitt Romney's sons enlist.

First off, they're all adults, so their enlistment (or lack thereof) is a result of their individual choices. Mr. Romney has no say in the matter, one way or the other, nor should he. That the brothers have chosen not to enlist says next to nothing about their father's character.

Secondly, how exactly is this sideshow relevant in judging Mitt's hypothetical performance as President? Maybe if his kids were in the military he'd exercise more restraint in using the military. Or maybe he'd end up exercising too much restraint. Or maybe it wouldn't effect his judgment at all, which is the result I'd personally hope for. But how that might play out is not something we can ever expect to know ahead of time, so its pretty much useless to dwell on it.

Why dwell on minutia? Why not save your breath and refocus the debate on something substantive, like Mitt's policy positions? Carping about his kids is a bloody waste of time.