The Dems Get Desperate, Part I

Remember Susan Estrich's crazed rant last week about the Democrats loading up dirt to hurl at the President? Well, here it comes.

First, we have the sudden press desire to dig up more information on the President's National Guard attendance records. Let's ignore the fact that President Bush has never, not once, claimed that his qualifications for office rest upon his performance as a National Guard pilot. Let's ignore the fact that unlike John Forbes Kerry, Bush has never once used his Guard service as a bona fide for his character. Let's ignore the fact that Bush's service record was reviewed, torn apart, and reviewed again this winter.

Let's focus on two things. First, the Democrats' response to the latest developments in this so-called story smack of insane desperation. Remember, Bush, Cheney and every other GOP official connected with the President's campaign basically said little to nothing while the Swift Boat story developed. Only after Kerry alleged that the Swift Boat Vets were a subsidiary of the Bush campaign did the GOP get involved in the dispute.

But let's see what the Dems have said about Bush's National Guard service.

The issue here, as I have heard it raised, is was he present andactive on duty in Alabama at the times he was supposed to be. ... Just because you get an honorable discharge does not in fact answer that question.

-- John Kerry, questioning President Bush's military-service record, February 8, 2004.

Kerry served and fought, said retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark, who ran for the Democratic nomination against the senator but now is in his camp. "The other man scrambled and used his family's influence to get out of hearing a shot fired in anger," Clark said.

-- AP, 8/18/2004

Retired Adm. Stansfield Turner, who was CIA director in the Carter administration, said Bush "used his father's influence to get into the Air National Guard and avoid going to war."

-- AP, 8/18/2004

Jim Rassmann, who credits Kerry with saving his life while under fire in Vietnam, noted that Kerry has said Bush served honorably. However, Kerry also said in February of Bush's Guard service, which included time in Alabama: "The issue here, as I have heard it raised, is was he present and active on duty in Alabama at the times he was supposed to be? I don't have the answer to that question."

-- AP, 8/18/2004

"We know John Kerry was in Vietnam," Democratic Party chief Terry McAuliffe said after the Boston Globe reported that Bush failed to complete required training but was never disciplined. "My question to you, Mr. President, is, where were you, sir? How did you avoid being disciplined?"

-- Reuters, 9/9/2004

Democratic Party chairman Terry McAuliffe said, "George W. Bush's cover story on his National Guard service is rapidly unraveling. ... George W. Bush needs to answer why he regularly mislead the American people about his time in the Guard and who applied political pressure on his behalf to have his performance reviews 'sugarcoated.'"

-- AP, 9/9/2004

By the way, Mr. McAuliffe, we know John Kerry was in Vietnam, because he wasn't in Cambodia.

That aside, the Democrats are desperate. They want this story to explode on Bush the way the Swift Boat story exploded on Kerry. Unfortunately, that won't happen, for the following reasons:

1. This story has no legs.
2. This story's been played up already.
3. They can't catch Bush in a lie, since all they have is speculation on whether he did or did not show up in Alabama.
4. Bush has a better campaign that already defused the story once.
5. The Swift Boat Vets story has the public sick of negative campaigning about Vietnam.
6. The media is already overplaying the story.

The last point is one that should play in the Dems favor, but won't. The media is treating this story like Michael Moore treat an all-you-can-eat-buffet, but no one has nailed down the facts like Byron York over at The Hill...

News coverage of the president’s years in the Guard has tended to focus on one brief portion of that time — to the exclusion of virtually everything else. So just for the record, here, in full, is what Bush did:

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.

After training, Bush kept flying, racking up hundreds of hours in F-102 jets. As he did, he accumulated points toward his National Guard service requirements. 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. The numbers indicate that in his first four years, Bush not only showed up, he showed up a lot. Did you know that?

That brings the story to May 1972 — the time that has been the focus of so many news reports — when Bush “deserted” (according to anti-Bush filmmaker Michael Moore) or went “AWOL” (according to Terry McAuliffe, chairman of the Democratic National Committee).

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.”

So Bush stopped flying. From May 1972 to May 1973, he earned just 56 points — not much, but enough to meet his requirement.Then, in 1973, as Bush made plans to leave the Guard and go to Harvard Business School, he again started showing up frequently.

In June and July of 1973, he accumulated 56 points, enough to meet the minimum requirement for the 1973-1974 year.

Then, at his request, he was given permission to go. Bush received an honorable discharge after serving five years, four months and five days of his original six-year commitment. By that time, however, he had accumulated enough points in each year to cover six years of service.

During his service, Bush received high marks as a pilot. 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.”

The press coverage of the story will inevitably be compared with press coverage of the Swift Boat Vets, who were far more compelling than the folks the Dems are trotting out, not to mention far more numerous. What's truly incredible is that the press found the Swift Boat Veterans not worthy of coverage until Kerry was forced to respond, yet they're all over this story. They couldn't be Kerry supporters, could they?

More on that in Part II on this issue later today. In the meantime, consider this -- the party of Bill Clinton is denigrating George W. Bush's service record. I know hypocrisy is required for politicians, but this one may belong in the Guinness Book or World Records.