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Friday, September 10, 2004
Bush's Service - The Big Picture The paperwork released by CBS on Wednesday have generated a lot of controversy. Are they real or forged? If they're real, then what do they mean? What new information is contained in them? However, the bit that's getting the most attention, and which is potentially most damaging to Bush, is something that was already undisputed public knowledge: He failed to report for his physical examination, and, in doing so, disobeyed the order of a superior officer. When you're required to get a flight certification physical in the Texas National Guard, your superior officer doesn't ask you politely to go see the nice doctor, if you've got time. No, as in all things military, they order you to do what they want you to do. You do it at the time and in the manner specified, or it's your ass. The debate over the documents' authenticity could keep up until well past the election, but the fact remains that Bush committed the military equivalent of a felony, and, if standard procedure had been followed, would have been court-martialled and punished. This would be no less true if John Kerry had forged the CBS documents himself. Instead of the whole smokescreen of speculation about the documents' provenance, it'd be nice to see the press going after the big issue: did Bush commit a crime, and, if so, why wasn't he punished for it? The answer to the first question, at least, seems easy enough to find. |