Bush says he can't provide any evidence that he was not AWOL from the Guard

[NNN0LHI]

Bush Defends Guard Duty After Democrat Attacks


http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=584&ncid=584&e=1&u=/nm...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush (news - web sites) accused Democrats on Sunday of misrepresenting his record of attendance in the Air National Guard at the height of the Vietnam war, insisting "I did my duty" far from the front-lines although there may be no evidence. snip


Unlike Kerry, Bush did not volunteer to serve in Vietnam. Instead he joined the Texas Air National Guard. "I flew fighters and enjoyed it, and we provided a service to our country," he told NBC's "Meet the Press." snip


Democrats have long challenged Bush's record of attendance in the guard in 1972 when he transferred temporarily to an Alabama unit to work on a political campaign. snip


Asked why no evidence has been found to show he reported to duty in Alabama during the summer and fall of 1972, Bush said: "There may be no evidence, but I did report. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been honorably discharged... I did show up in Alabama." snip

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[Terwilliger]

1. Certainly he can find SOMEBODY (besides Blount campaign staff)...

to verify thgat he was in Alabama for a year.

I mean, it was only 30 years ago....did he do too many drugs to remember????

[NNN0LHI]

2. You would think so n/t

[JitterbugPerfume]

6. that is BS

he has access to his own service records

[tabasco]

3. He is a liar.

He knows the honorable discharge does not disprove his AWOL problem. He is hoping most are too stupid to know that. I see him as desperate. He skipped out on the Guard after his transfer to Alabama. There is no record of any training, pay, or evaluations he received in Alabama. That is unheard of in the military. He simply was not there. Must be nice to have friends in high places.

[madrchsod]

4. but "timmy" didn`t ask about the drug test

no drug test -can`t fly..what was it? a million to train him? refused to fly overseas?

[NNN0LHI]

Bet Rove scrubbed that question from the interview n/t

[tableturner]

5. Pay stubs and tax returns!!

There is a time bomb awaiting either defusion or explosion that will go a long way toward assessing Bush's performance in the interview and whether he was helped or hurt by it. I am referring to his plainly stated pledge to release his pay stubs and tax records to prove his Natiional Guard service. While some parts of the answer on the AWOL issue were not so plain, the component where he promised to release those records WAS plain. He outright said he would do so and no matter what he and his people say later, if he does not do so, and I mean if he avoids specifically and openly releasing those pay records and tax returns, there will be no way to spin out of it. Either Bush knows something we don't, or he has been cornered and has made a huge mistake. However, it was inevitable. There is no way, with the renewed wide debate, that the specific questions that Russert asked could have been avoided at some later point. Either his pay records and tax returns show that he served during the time in question or he is nailed!

How can he get out of that?

[Eric J in MN]

7. Please send Letters to Editor of your local papers that Bush answers

Please send Letters to Editor of your local papers that Bush's answers raise more questions.

If he has proof of proper service, where is it?

The "honorable discharge" proves nothing. A unit which didn't prosecute him for going AWOl as the son of a Congressman wouldn't deny him an honorable discharge, either.

UNLESS WE KEEP THIS ISSUE GOING, the punidits will declare that Bush answered the question on Meet the Press and no more discussion is needed.

[NNN0LHI]

8. Let it slide for a while. This issue is not going anywhere

It will keep popping up all the way to November. The media is doing their best to put lipstick on this pig but it ain't working. Enjoy.

Don

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