Replies

I agree with you, but that is almost exactly what he said in the interview. Here's the relevant excerpt:

[Russert explains charge]

Russert: How do you respond?

President Bush: Political season is here. I was I served in the National Guard. I flew F 102 aircraft. I got an honorable discharge. I've heard this I've heard this ever since I started running for office. I I put in my time, proudly so.

I would be careful to not denigrate the Guard. It's fine to go after me, which I expect the other side will do. I wouldn't denigrate service to the Guard, though, and the reason I wouldn't, is because there are a lot of really fine people who served in the National Guard and who are serving in the National Guard today in Iraq.

Russert: The Boston Globe and the Associated Press have gone through some of their records and said there’s no evidence that you reported to duty in Alabama during the summer and fall of 1972.

President Bush: Yeah, they re they're just wrong. There may be no evidence, but I did report; otherwise, I wouldn't have been honorably discharged. In other words, you don't just say "I did something" without there being verification. Military doesn't work that way. I got an honorable discharge, and I did show up in Alabama.

Russert: You did were allowed to leave eight months before your term expired. Was there a reason?

President Bush: Right. Well, I was going to Harvard Business School and worked it out with the military.

Russert: When allegations were made about John McCain or Wesley Clark on their military records, they opened up their entire files. Would you agree to do that?

President Bush: Yeah. Listen, these files I mean, people have been looking for these files for a long period of time, trust me, and starting in the 1994 campaign for governor. And I can assure you in the year 2000 people were looking for those files as well. Probably you were. And absolutely. I mean, I

Russert: But would you allow pay stubs, tax records, anything to show that you were serving during that period?

President Bush: Yeah. If we still have them, but I you know, the records are kept in Colorado, as I understand, and they scoured the records.

And I'm just telling you, I did my duty, and it's politics, you know, to kind of ascribe all kinds of motives to me. But I have been through it before. I'm used to it. What I don't like is when people say serving in the Guard is is may not be a true service.

(Emphasis Added).

Now, he didn't say exactly the itmes you stated, he answered the questions. The only "doubt" about whether his service was on the "up-and-up" is that which the demoCREEPs and their willing accomplices in the media keep talking about.

Correction: itmes >> items

Russert: The Boston Globe and the Associated Press have gone through some of their records and said there’s no evidence that you reported to duty in Alabama during the summer and fall of 1972.

I notice Timmy Boy (D-NBC) forgot to mention George Magazine and The New York Times. Their articles differ with Mr. Kerry's hometown newspaper; you know the paper, the one who has been sitting on Kerry's philandering for years.

>> I agree with you, but that is almost exactly what he said in the interview. Here's the relevant excerpt:

As I wrote my post, I was thinking about not posting it as I went down the number of points, because I realized that Bush did make most of those points. But I posted anyway. Now thinking about it, I was more upset with the way that Bush handled the interchange with Russert.

I think Russert truly believes the following about this issue - whether Russert thinks Bush was AWOL or not - that by bringing up the AWOL charge, that Russert (aren't I so nice to do this for your Mr. President) was giving the President a chance to respond to the charges. That's fair and balanced journalism in his mind. Personally, I think it is an issue off the table. It's a lie. It's been proven a lie, and nothing more needs to be said. So in a way, I see Russert as a lackey of the liberals - despite of what he may really think or feel (I doubt the thinking part sometimes).

Now thinking *even* more about it, I think Bush probably said exactly the right thing. My approach would be meant for conservatives and probably turn off independents and moderate democrats that might vote for Bush. Bush’s responses in the interview were not intended for the likes of me. Bush knows that people like me are not going to vote for Kerry in November. All that Bush has to do is make sure I don’t get so pissed off that I don’t vote in November. Aren’t politics great?

I think that I just came up with a way to describe how conservatives will be treated by Bush the rest of election year; Bush will throw us an occasional bone, but we are not going to be given any red meat.