It appears that only one member of Congress has a child in military service who's gone to Iraq -- Democratic senator Tim Johnson of South Dakota. (This, of course, did not prevent Johnson's Republican opponent from shamelessly comparing Johnson to Saddam Hussein in a TV ad because Johnson voted against missile defense.) Being the child of a politician wasn't always a near-automatic exemption from service -- here's part of the publisher's description of a biography of Teddy Roosevelt's son and namesake:

During World War I, Ted (as he was known) was the youngest American regimental commander to see combat.... Early in 1941, Ted petitioned the army to return him to active duty. In April of that year, despite his advanced years, poor eyesight, weak heart, and arthritis so bad he had to use a cane, Colonel Roosevelt was back in uniform. Promoted to brigadier general, Ted fought with the 1st Infantry Division and served with distinction in North Africa and Sicily.

At Normandy, General Roosevelt was the oldest American and only general to land with the first wave on Utah Beach. His valorous leadership on the beach saved the day for his troops and earned him the Congressional Medal of Honor....When Gen. Omar Bradley was asked to name the bravest act he had ever known over his more than forty years of military service, he replied with four words: “Ted Roosevelt. Utah Beach.”

Theodore Roosevelt Jr. served in World War II. He was born in 1887. You do the math.

Say, what's President Bush's nephew George P. up to these days?