Those of you who've been following the Bush Administration's rather indifferent treatment of veterans may be wondering if it's a story that's mostly being confined to the more obsessive corners of the blog world. Here's one indication, from the President's backyard, that it's not.

Rest assured, veterans who rumbled through Crawford Aug. 16 to protest the proposed closing of the Waco Veterans Affairs hospital didn't disturb George Bush's morning jog.

But the "Rolling Thunder" protest, featuring a motorcycle brigade, did catch the attention of the Wall Street Journal.

It reported that the drive-through protest — no stopping allowed in Crawford, except to buy George Bush souvenirs — was a "harbinger of political dangers ahead" for the president.

Veterans services are one area in which heartland-hewn conservatives are coming to appreciate the function of government, and are wondering why this government can't do what it promises.

It is an indicator that Bush's "don't worry, cut taxes" ditty is not soothing everyone whom he might have considered his core constituency.