What's your take on this?
My take is that it's going to be difficult to question a dead man as to what he meant by the memos or even if they were written contemporaneously.
On the other hand, I'd say that CBS released the most damaging quotes in the most ominous context possible. So let's look at them:
...The first memo is a direct order to take "an annual physical examination" – a requirement for all pilots
Big deal. He was "ordered" to take a physical. This could have meant ordered in "Do this or else" or it could have been ordered as in "I'm ordering you show up for your quarterly dental cleaning". I'm sure the whole memo won't look like an absolute order.
...Another memo refers to a phone call from the lieutenant in which he and his commander "discussed options of how Bush can get out of coming to drill from now through November." And that due to other commitments "he may not have time."...
Again, what's the big deal? Bush calls him analyzing his options on alternate service during a period he is busy at work. That happens all the time in the reserves. Reservists do have full time jobs. And if there were something more damaging about this conversation, it would have been mentioned
...Killian's memo, titled 'CYA' reads he is being pressured by higher-ups to give the young pilot a favorable yearly evaluation; to, in effect, sugarcoat his review. He refuses, saying, "I'm having trouble running interference and doing my job." ...
Here he says he got pressure from above but refused to comply. It doesn't say that he got pressure from Bush. It also doesn't define what "pressure" means. Perhaps some of the higher ups who knew Bush's dad was a politician made some requests on Bush's behalf without Bush's knowledge. Even so, the memo says that he refused to bow to the pressure, and there is nothing negative in Bush's actual records, so you got to go with the official record here.
...More difficult to brush off are two official memos that seem to contradict previous White House statements.
One "orders" the president to report for a physical. The White House has said the physical was "not necessary" because the president stopped flying.
So he was ordered to get a physical if he intended to keep flying, but he knew he would not be flying again so he didn't get it. Perhaps his commander ordered him to get the physical without knowing what Bush's long range plans were. Again, I find it difficult to believe that a commander "ordered" him to something that was routinely scheduled anyway
And where the White House says the president's flying status was revoked simply for missing that physical, the memo points to both the missed physical and "failure to perform to (USAF/TexANG) standards...
I'd have to have details defining what "failure to perform to (ASAF/TexANG) standards means. Otherwise this is just hot air. This is the only thing that could be anything, but if it was already part of Bush's official record, I'm sure it's been looked over. If it was part of this guys personal files, how could it have been "official".
So at best they have one memo that may raise a small question with the Anybody But Bush hatemongers. For the rest of us, I can't see this as any big deal. Of course, the media is part of the ABB hatemongers, so they could whip it up nonstop until the election if they want. But ultimately, I can't imagine this will make any difference to the voters.