WHY THE NATIONAL GUARD SERVICE IS RELEVANT

You have to wonder if John Kerry wants it badly enough.

Many bloggers, like A Red Mind In a Blue State, question whether Bush's National Guard service is relevant in the current election. According to this logic, the only thing relevant about the incumbent's record is what he does as President. Past actions will gain no traction. Therefore, war hero Bob Dole could not touch Bill Clinton's "draft dodging" in 1996, since the time to do it was 1992, etc.

George Bush's National Guard service shows his character completely. He obtained a coveted position through family connections. He seemed to rationalize this by thinking that since he was the best man for the job, how he got the job did not matter so much. Bush needed a short time to get his bearings. Once he got them, he performed diligently and admirably. Despite his diligent and admirable service, he did not obtain his desired results. The day-to-day grind became too much for him. He ran away. He got family retainers to cover his tracks.

This is the story of Bush's National Guard career. It is the story of his business career in oil. It is the story of how he won the election. It is the story of Afghanistan and the hunt for Osama, and it will be the story of Bush's involvement in Iraq.

Bush became President after the Supreme Court short-circuited the Florida process. Bush thought it was OK, because he knew that God wanted him to be President. While President, he sought a way to take out Saddam Hussein. His first few months as President were rocky, but after September 11, after some hesitation and other steps, after WMDs, Bush got his chance to invade Iraq. The invasion went swimmingly. History books will make it sound as if one day we invaded Iraq, and the very next day we found Sadman Insane in the monkey hole. After that, the post-invasion became messy.

According to Bush's pattern, he will now look for a way out. After the National Guard became messy and inconvenient, Bush split to Alabama. (Family retainers made it right with the National Guard) After business invesmtents became messy, Bush split to the Texas Rangers baseball team. (Family retainers made it right with the SEC). After Afghanistan became messy, Bush split to Iraq. (Family retainers made it sound unpatriotic, the act of a terrorist, to ask why we were abandoning the search for Osama). Now that Iraq is messy, Bush may look for a way out of Iraq as well.

If John Kerry wants it badly enough, he can certainly show that Bush's past is an exact indicator of the present and the future. Bush's lack of character foretells a bad end for Iraq.