I think, gentlemen, that you need to read the various citations.  The mateiral CBS was given quite well may be forged, that portion of the story is yet to be completely proven either way, although I for one think it was not real.  But ALL the OTHER evidence DOES support the story that Bush wasa a total shirker in uniform.  It's actually more damning than any of Clinton's efforts to evade the draft.

Other officers recall his avoidance of drill and skipping medical appts. The Harvard Professor 's conversations with him left little doubt that he relied heavily on his connections to avoid actual service at every opportunity.

This is clearly why Rove put his ambush of CBS into action, to give the easily misled (you guys and other knee jerk reactionaries) a stick to fight the OVERWHELMING torrent of information that paints Bush as "a guy born on third who thinks he hit a triple" and a serious cad.  Otherwise the few among you who are rational on this point might begin to doubt your golden boy.

The "CBS papers" were not the core of the case made.  They were the icing on the cake, the final damning proof, the gild to the lily.  As such, their possible lack of authenticity DOES NOT put the lie to the rest of the story, but rather serves to attract more attention as we try to figure out why M. Rove felt threatened by the original tale enough to take another of his devious actions?  Clearly it had teeth enough.

That said, I only use the Guard story when pointing out that one served and the other DID NOT, and to question W's glee at putting the real men who DO SERVE in harm's way for NO REAL REASON (In Iraq, few question Afghanistan as a campaign)when he clearly would cut at the first shell himself.  What these two men did 30 years ago has no other bearing on this present struggle.  Clinton was a fine president w/o a service history, and agonized over every use of force enough for two presidents.



-- Modified on 9/18/2004 9:14:04 AM

Of course the official government record says that Kerry earned a Silver Star, a Bronze Star and 3 Purple Hearts, so by your reasoning the allegations of the Swiftboat Vets are completely refuted.  Why then were they given so much media exposure even after their star witness and their only member that actually served on Kerr's boat, Stephen Gardner, admitted that "he was not on the boat with Kerry during the incidents for which Kerry got his medals," as reported by The Columbus Dispatch on August 6? And as a guest on Michael Savage's radio show, Savage Nation, on August 2, Gardner said that of Kerry's three Purple Hearts, he could only attest to the first; Gardner later admitted to Savage that he was "not on the boat with him [Kerry]" when that injury occurred.