One other point I'd like to make that no one in the press seems to be picking up on. In 1968, Dubya's father was serving his first term as a Republican Congressman from Texas. In the fall of 1968, he would be elected to his second term. Obviously George H.W. Bush, had enough political connections in Texas to be able to get the nod from the party to run for that office, and then run again for reelection. So my question is this: Why would George H.W. Bush find it necessary to approach a Democratic State Legislator to help his son get into the Air National Guard in Texas, when it would seem that as a Congressman, he could more or less make those arrangements himself if he'd wanted to?
The point is that there were politically powerful people in both parties in Texas, and if Dubya's father had wanted to help his son get into the Guard, then he certainly wouldn't have had to go to a Democrat to get it done.
I am very sure that it is true that boys in 1968 who had influential fathers found it easier to get into the National Guard.
I am also sure it is true, and I bet President Bush would stipulate that 68Kerry would have been a better President than 68Bush.
THAT WAS THIRTY-SIX YEARS AGO.
In the intervening 36 years, Kerry has shown us what kind of a President he would be, as has President Bush.
Of course Kerry and his flacks want to run against 68Bush.
So what? Let's run against 04Kerry.
68 Kerry (and 68Bush) have been gone for a long time.