From the “keen sense of the obvious” department at Harvard University, researchers at the Kennedy School of Government reported this week what anyone with a lick of common sense already knew: When Democrats and their Leftmedia instruments of propaganda openly condemn Operation Iraqi Freedom, they embolden our enemy.

The research team determined that the more strident the political dissention of OIF reflected in U.S. media stories or polls (read: “Pollaganda”), the more frequent were attacks against civilians and U.S. military forces in Iraq. Notably, in areas with greater access to international news media, the quantifiable increases were greater.

The report, “Is There an ‘Emboldenment’ Effect? Evidence from the Insurgency in Iraq,”, concludes that attacks increased between seven and ten percent following “high-mention weeks,” like the two before the November 2006 midterm elections, when Leftist political rhetoric was at full steam.

Since the onset of hostilities with Jihadistan, and particularly in the wake of 9/11 and our military response (OEF and OIF), I have written a few pointed essays about how Democrats and their Leftmedia minions lend support to our enemy with political fodder designed to appeal to their Leftist constituency.

Of course, there is a distinction between constructive criticism and traitorous rhetoric, but in time of war one must choose words to express dissent very carefully. In this respect, some notable Democrats have been reckless to the point of treason.

Until the current presidential campaign, the benchmark for spewing anti-American rhetoric against OIF was established by John Kerry, whose ‘04 campaign modus operandi went well beyond thoughtful dissent about OIF. He even poked fun at the competence of our warriors, claiming they were “stuck in Iraq.”

Of course, Kerry had plenty of experience providing aid and comfort to the enemy, beginning with his infamous anti-American activities during the Vietnam War, with his comrade “Hanoi” Jane Fonda.

Who better than General Vo Nguyen Giap, supreme leader of the North Vietnamese Army, to outline how Kerry and the Leftmedia embolden the enemy. In a 1989 interview with CBS, Giap recalled: “We paid a high price [during the Tet offensive] but so did you [Americans] … not only in lives and materiel. Do not forget the war was brought into the living rooms of the American people. … The most important result of the Tet offensive was it made you de-escalate the bombing, and it brought you to the negotiation table. It was, therefore, a victory…. The war was fought on many fronts. At that time the most important one was American public opinion.” (emphasis added)

In '04, Kerry was joined in his efforts to embolden Iraqi insurgents by a cadre of congressional Demo-gogues who continued to spew traitorous rhetoric.

A year ago, I participated in high-level security briefings with CENTCOM and SOCOM commanders, one of whom discussed the topic “Media as Terrain” – how our adversaries use the media as a battleground.

Shortly after that briefing, I penned an essay that pointedly condemned Democrats for aiding and abetting the enemy. In “Memo to the American Media from Sheikh Muhammad al-Zawahiri,” I focused on a most revealing quote: “I say to you: that we are in a battle, and that more than half of this battle is taking place in the battlefield of the media.” That quote was part of an intercepted and authenticated communiqué from Osama bin Laden’s chief lieutenant to the now-departed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

Read that quote again, and let it sink in.

Yet Democrats and their media organs continue to crank out cover stories like “We’re losing” from Newsweek.

Indeed, Islamist leaders must be thrilled by the support they receive from America’s “useful idiots,” those card-carrying apologists for a socialist political and economic agenda – essentially, advocates for Marxist-Leninist-Maoist collectivism.

Article III, Section 3 of the United States Constitution notes: “Treason against the United States, shall consist in … adhering to [our] enemies, giving them aid and comfort.”

When I raised my hand in preparation to serve my country, the oath I took was to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic… So help me God.”

According to General Giap, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and now researchers at Harvard, there is plenty of evidence that Demo-gogues and their Leftmedia talking heads have provided ample “aid and comfort” to the enemy.

There is already a petition to prosecute John Kerry for treason. Perhaps it is time to add a few more Demos to the list, starting with Kerry’s lapdog, Barack Obama.