This from Oliver:

The worst rightie canard is that Bush isn't running on his military record (you mean the record with the gap longer than Nixon's 18 1/2 minutes?), but Kerry is. Of course, the problem is, Bush is running for reelection not only as president but as commander-in-chief. We have currently lost the lives of 1,004 good people directly attributable to the current commander-in-chief's inability to lead, so the fact that apparent dereliction of duty is the norm and not the exception to Bush's record is an issue very worth noting.

Juliette:

The subject and the attitude behind this

have brought up so much anger and disgust in me (again) that I can
barely see straight. All of a sudden these people--who wouldn't dream
of enlisting, AD or not--are flocking experts on the military. All of a
sudden it's sooo important that a CinC must have military experience,
much less a "spotless" record of same. This would be the same military
that they/their parents spat upon and called baby-killers a generation
ago.



Wizbang:



On February 23, 2004 Doonesbury creator Gary Trudeau issued the following challenge:

[H]elp us flush out an authoritative witness to President Bush's tour of duty defending the skies over Alabama -- and put this tired, recycled AWOL story to rest once and for all.

If you personally witnessed George W. Bush reporting for drills at Dannelly Air National Guard Base between the months of May and November of 1972 we want to hear about it.

USA Today - Former Guardsman: Bush served with me in Alabama

Looks like Trudeau owes the USO $10,000.

Rusty:

Former Guardsman: Bush served with me in Alabama

Now can you guys just shut the hell up? Of course, over at the DU there will be whining that the guy is a NASCAR fan, which is code for bigot-segregationist-homophobe who wants to starve children and force women back into using coat-hangers.

---

Not surprisingly, to the Right this story represents a left wing Major Media conspiracy. To the Left, it represents Justice after the smear campaign run by the Right on the Swift Boat accussations. Righties will, as Rusty and Kevin have done, claim vindication in the so-called witness that has come forward for Bush. To them I ask the question, "what makes this witnesses story any more legitimate than those who defended Kerry in the SBV accussations, you cant have it both ways. There appears to be some letters and documentation showing that something fishy was going on back then. This will of course be spun ad nauseum by those seeking to defend Bush, that is all fair and well... But I would suggesst as Rusty did that the conspiracy theories be put away. Let the media do their job, and the chips fall where they may, just as they did with Kerry. You can not stand on a soap box and demand that Kerry be investigated to the hilt as a "candidate," while the President gets a free ride. And in all honesty, the argument of Bush not running on his Military record is Disingenuous. He may not be running on his Military record, but he is running on his sincerity and honesty, and this if true, will show that he has been anything but.

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