New Records Indicate Gap in Bush Military Service

Earlier this year, the White House released documents it said proved President Bush fulfilled his National Guard service during the Vietnam War. White House spokesman Scott McClellan at the time said the documents "means he served" and that there was no longer any question about whether the President actually showed up to fulfill his duty. But according to new records released late last week, Bush did not accumulate any flying hours at all for several months during 1972. According to Bloomberg news service, newly released computerized records provide no record of Bush's whereabouts between July 1972 and September 1972 when he was supposed to be serving in the Alabama National Guard. Earlier this month, the Pentagon said those documents had been "inadvertently destroyed." The Associated Press is currently suing for the release of copies of all the records, which are legally required to exist at the Texas state archives. 3However, President Bush has refused to authorize their release, forcing AP to invoke the Freedom of Information Act. [more]