"AP: New Bush Guard Papers Leave Questions"

[GreenPartyVoter]

WASHINGTON (AP) - Unearthed under legal pressure, three-decade-old documents portray President Bush as a capable and well-liked Air National Guard pilot who stopped flying and attending regular drills two-thirds of the way through his six-year commitment - without consequence.

The files, many of them forced to light by Freedom of Information lawsuits by The Associated Press, conflict with some of the harshest attacks Democrats have levied on Bush's Vietnam-era service, such as suggestions that Bush was a deserter or absent without leave.

But gaps in the records leave unanswered questions about the final two years of his military service in 1972 and 1973. Chief among them: Why did Bush's commanders apparently tolerate his lapses in training and approve his honorable discharge?

Bush's commanders could have punished him - or ordered him to two years of active duty - for missing drills for six months in 1972 and skipping a required pilot's medical exam. Instead, they allowed him to make up some of his missed training and granted him an honorable discharge.

http://apnews1.iwon.com//article/20041027/D85VFHO00.html?PG=home&SEC=news

[Doctor_J]

1. might as well pile on

the good ship rove can't keep all the holes plugged.

[lanparty]

2. Sorry but this story is effectively dead ...

Rove beat the Democrats on this one. He discredited the story indirectly by feeding those bogus documents to CBS via Bill Berkett.

The rubes now believe the story all came from bogus documents. It's not true. But you'll have an easier time trying to convince the general public that Jennifer Flowers was a crazy lying money whore!!!

[Fridays Child]

3. Why did Bush's commanders tolerate his training lapses and give him...

...an honorable discharge? Easy. He developed a debiliating medical condition from frequent and heavy cocaine use. He underwent treatment, consisting of at least one night of critical care in lock-up, followed by several months of rehabilitative community service. He was pronounced cured, made up some drills, and got an honorable discharge.

[Bossy Monkey]

4. Let's see... wasn/t GHWB heading the RNC at that point?

Wonder if there could be some kind of connection?

[troubleinwinter]

5. Great work, AP

Kinda, sorta, in a slight way, weakly reporting a teeny bit of the story, with a little soft pedal, too little, too late. Wow.