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Bush guard log spotty Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.nydailynews.com/02-11-2004/news/story/163355p-143203c.htmlhttp://www.nydailynews.com/02-11-2004/news/story/163355p-143203c.html
Bush Guard log spotty
By BOB PORT in New York and RICHARD SISK in Washington
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
The White House released military pay records yesterday purporting to show that President Bush fulfilled his National Guard duties, but the documents also revealed unexplained gaps in his service.
White House officials also could not find other Guard members who recalled seeing Bush or serving with him during the periods in question in 1972-73.
"Obviously we would have made people available" if they could have been found, said White House press secretary Scott McClellan.
At a contentious news conference, McClellan sought to rebut the Democrats' charges that Bush was a stateside no-show during the Vietnam War.
Waving the newly discovered records, McClellan said,"These documents also show that he met his requirements and it's just really a shame that people are continuing to bring this issue up."
Bush's political career has been dogged by lingering questions about how he managed to get a coveted position in the Texas Air National Guard during the height of the Vietnam War in 1968, and whether he showed up when required in Alabama and Texas in 1972-73.
Bush left Texas for Alabama in May 1972 to work on the Senate campaign of family friend Winton (Red) Blount.
It wasn't until Sept. 5 that he got written authorization from the Texas Air National Guard to train with the Alabama Guard, records show.
Lt. Col. Robert Horton, spokesman for Alabama Air Guard, said Bush was authorized to train with the Air National Guard in Alabama for three months from September to November, and the records released yesterday indicated that Bush did two days of duty in October and four days in November.
Guard duty at the time normally meant one weekend a month or the equivalent.
"Let's put this in perspective," Horton said. "We're talking about six days. That's not a lot."
But the records also show a gap - from May 1972 through late October 1972 - when Bush was not paid and apparently did no National Guard training at all.
The records also show he was not paid for service in December 1972, or in February and March 1973.
McClellan also could not explain why Bush failed to show up for a required annual pilots' physical in 1972 and consequently lost his flight status.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe charged that the White House documents "create more questions than answers. The fact remains that there is still no evidence that George W. Bush showed up for duty as ordered while in Alabama."
The Democrats' front-runner, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), had no comment yesterday on the White House document dump, saying, "It's not an issue that I chose to create."
Originally published on February 11, 2004
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