As alert readers of our Sunday Current section are aware, we run a recurring feature called "Modest Proposal," named after this old column about eating babies. Recent examples have advocated making ethnic jokes, not war, and waterboarding members of Congress.

On Sunday, Paul Whitefield, who supervises the editorial pages' copy desk, wrote one headlined "Apocalypse again -- call up the Vietnam vets." Here's how it starts:

Listening President Bush's speech on Iraq earlier this month, my first thought was: "Where the heck are we going to get 21,500 more soldiers to send to Iraq?" Our Reserves are depleted, our National Guard is worn out, our Army and Marine Corps are stretched to the limit.

Then it hit me: Re-up our Vietnam War veterans and send them.

The reaction has been, well, swift, starting with conservative talkshow host Hugh Hewitt. Excerpt:

I am betting he's around 30, graduated from a small liberal arts college, and knows no one in the military today, much less any Vietnam veterans.

One outta four ain't bad! For more vitupertastic response, read on after the jump.