A WOLf in president's clothing

So the White House has released payroll records that it claims prove Shrub fulfilled his obligations to the National Guard.

"These documents make it very clear that the president of the United States fulfilled his duties," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. "When you serve, you are paid for that service, and these documents outline the day he was paid."

Okay, except for two little problems. First,

under questioning from reporters, McClellan said the records do not specifically show that Bush reported for Guard duty in Alabama, where he spent much of 1972 working on a Senate campaign. And he said the White House has been unable to locate anyone who remembers serving with Bush during that period.

And more importantly,

Bush was not credited with any service for a five-month period in 1972, from May through September, according to the pay records. He was paid for two days in October and four days in November and none in December. The records do not indicate what duty Bush performed or where he was.

What this boils down, to, then is that the records presented by the White House do more to confirm Bush's disappearing act in Alabama than they do to refute it. This is not going to go away.

Here's my take on the whole thing: Like the chickenhawk he was and is, Bush was gung-ho for the Vietnam war as long at other people were fighting it. A few strings pulled, a few calls made, and he leapfrogged over a couple of hundred applicants to get into the Texas Air National Guard.

He was trained as a fighter pilot on F-102s and apparently took to it. (Various reports have said he actually was a pretty good pilot.) He got himself switched to Alabama (another special favor) so he could work on the Senatorial campaign of a family friend.

Here's where the issue is joined. I say that for some reason, whether because he'd come to find politics more interesting or he just changed his mind or for some other greater or lesser cause, but for some reason, Bush lost interest in flying and just blew off his commitment to the Guard. He failed to report in, failed to show up for drills, failed to take his physical.

Months later, either he realized or someone impressed on him that even with his family connections, he still could be seriously screwed. So he arranged to make up the time (yet another special favor, since missed time is supposed to be made up in the same quarter in which it occurred, obviously not possible with a five month gap) and starting in January 1973 he put in a lot of days until he was allowed early release (one last special favor).

So what does this mean? Was he AWOL? Yes - although certainly the Guard didn't pursue this as vigorously as it might have for a less well-connected enlistee. Did he make up the time? Yes - although the Guard, again, had to bend the rules to allow it. Did he deserve his honorable discharge? Technically, recognizing the Guard cut corners on his behalf, yes. Ethically, with the same recognition, no.

And what does this mean for Bush? It's just another case where - as is shown by his life both before and after this time - he figured, accurately, that he could pretty much skate through life on the strength of his connections. Someone - unfortunately, I can't recall who just now - remarked recently that when this first came up Bush could probably have made the whole thing go away by saying that "Yes, you're right. I screwed up. I've already said that when I was young and foolish, I did young and foolish things. But, dammit, I went back, I took my medicine, I made up the time, I made it right. And I learned a good lesson about keeping my commitments." The fact that he didn't say anything of the sort but prefers slipping, sliding, and stonewalling says as much about his character as having been AWOL does - more, because it's current.

Unintentionally Revealing Quotes Dept.: This gem from Scottie the Shrubbery.

"I think there are some that we are now seeing are not interested in the facts," McClellan said. "What they are interested in is trying to twist the facts for partisan political advantage in an election year."

He got that right.