Democrats have nobody but themselves to blame.
Faced with a difficult war, President Bush has made difficult, unpopular decisions that he resolutely and honestly believed at the time were the correct ones. Even his enemies must give him that much.
Accordingly, a politically vulnerable CinC stood accountable, shortcomings and all, and made his case as best he could directly to the American people. The Democrats could have cleaned his clock, IMO, had they shown him the basic decency and respect due a wartime CinC, and nominated a centrist, Mark Warner-type Southern Governor who would not have polarized the country and would have cherry-picked VA, West VA, and NC from Dubya's sea of red.
The correct Kerry/RAT strategy was "Great guy, George Bush. Trying his best. We like him, too. But not up to the job. We can and will do better."
But, unfortunately for RAT-dom, THEY WERE TOO F*CKING STUPID.
Buh-bye, 'Effin.