Bush "kept his commitments"

I guess I could have read the story before blogging, but where's the fun in that?

White House spokesman Trent Duffy said Bush kept his service commitments, pointing to the fact that Bush was honorably discharged in 1973.

The White House says Bush attended enough training during other months in 1972 to fulfill his service commitment for that year.

Let's examine these two statements.

1. Bush kept his commitments because he was honorably discharged. This is putting the cart before the horse, my friends. Everyone knows that W was honorably discharged - that is a matter of proven, written (never mysteriously almost-destroyed) record. The issue, rather, is whether this politically well-connected young man of draftable age was given special treatment. No - I take that back. Everyone knows he was given special treatment. The question is whether he looked the gift-horse of National Guard flyer-boy duty square in the mouth and told it to go fuck itself. Coincidentally at or around the time that the Guard instituted mandatory drug-testing. While John Kerry was getting shot at and pulling men out of a jungle river in Vietnam. And still got an honorable discharge (early - no less - so that he could attend HBS).

2. Bush attended "enough training" during other months in 1972 to fulfill his service commitment for that year. This is a new argument, and one worth paying attention to. Specifically, I would like to see commentary from an actual National Guard officer on whether this is satisfactory behavior for a Guardsman who has been ordered to report for duty to a new unit.