Bush Outserves Kerry

[Kevin]

In a follow up to Paul's post last night, there was an update linking to an article in The Hill that scrutinized President Bush's National Guard Service. Contrary to Terry McAuliffe's AWOL charge or Michael Moore's charge of desertion, it turns out that not only did President Bush serve honorably, but he surpassed his requirements.

Key points:


The future president joined the Guard in May 1968. Almost immediately, he began an extended period of training. Six weeks of basic training. Fifty-three weeks of flight training. Twenty-one weeks of fighter-interceptor training.

That was 80 weeks to begin with, and there were other training periods thrown in as well. It was full-time work. By the time it was over, Bush had served nearly two years.

Not two years of weekends. Two years.


So President Bush spent nearly 2 years in intensive fighter pilot training to master his interceptor. Now, to whether he fulfilled his commitments:


At the time, guardsmen were required to accumulate a minimum of 50 points to meet their yearly obligation...

According to records released earlier this year, Bush earned 253 points in his first year, May 1968 to May 1969 (since he joined in May 1968, his service thereafter was measured on a May-to-May basis).

Bush earned 340 points in 1969-1970. He earned 137 points in 1970-1971. And he earned 112 points in 1971-1972...
From May 1972 to May 1973, he earned just 56 points � not much, but enough to meet his requirement...
In June and July of 1973, he accumulated 56 points, enough to meet the minimum requirement for the 1973-1974 year.



So President Bush earned 954 points in just over 5 years, which would have fulfilled a 19-year obligation. Even if points could not be carried over from year to year, President Bush earned more than the 50 point requirement in each of his 6 years of service.

Not only did he fully serve out his obligation, but he did so with distinction:


A 1970 evaluation said Bush "clearly stands out as a top notch fighter interceptor pilot" and was "a natural leader whom his contemporaries look to for leadership."

A 1971 evaluation called Bush �an exceptionally fine young officer and pilot" who "continually flies intercept missions with the unit to increase his proficiency even further." And a 1972 evaluation called Bush "an exceptional fighter interceptor pilot and officer."


Now to the question of whether President Bush was the recipient of special treatment:


Bush asked for permission to go to Alabama to work on a Senate campaign. His superior officers said OK. Requests like that weren't unusual, says retired Col. William Campenni, who flew with Bush in 1970 and 1971.

"In 1972, there was an enormous glut of pilots," Campenni says. "The Vietnam War was winding down, and the Air Force was putting pilots in desk jobs. In '72 or '73, if you were a pilot, active or Guard, and you had an obligation and wanted to get out, no problem. In fact, you were helping them solve their problem."


Perhaps, most importantly, is how he left the service:


Bush received an honorable discharge

What is critical for voters, though, is that while President Bush is staking his campaign on both his record and his future plans for security and the economy, Senator Kerry made the centerpiece of his campaign the 4 months he spent in Vietnam. President Bush did not re-enact scenes with a home movie camera for political use because he does not share Kerry's vanity-driven references to military service.

It is clearer than ever that Kerry wants to run on anything but his Senate record, and that his team is pursuing just such a strategy. We'll see how much time the debates spend on issues versus the back-and-forth mudslinging.