I wasn’t really paying attention to these new-fangled blag thingies back when this story hit the big time. But a few years ago (during the 2004 election) CBS news ran a report that strongly implied that George Bush was a cowardly draft dodger, and had joined the National Guard to avoid having to go to Vietnam.

The story hinged on a set of documents that turned out to be fake. A group of conservative blogs proved that the documents, which were allegedly from the 1970s, were really created in Microsoft Word.

In the aftermath Dan Rather lost his job anchoring the CBS Evening News, the producer for the report was fired, and CBS hired an outside investigator to figure out what went wrong.

A few days ago, Bernard Goldberg wrote a story pointing out an interesting fact that was generally overlooked in the CBS investigator’s report, which came out a few years ago.

Mapes [the producer] had information prior to the airing of the September 8 [2004] Segment that President Bush, while in the TexANG [Texas Air National Guard] did volunteer for service in Vietnam but was turned down in favor of more experienced pilots. For example, a flight instructor who served in the TexANG with Lieutenant Bush advised Mapes in 1999 that Lieutenant Bush “did want to go to Vietnam but others went first.” Similarly, several others advised Mapes in 1999, and again in 2004 before September 8, that Lieutenant Bush had volunteered to go to Vietnam but did not have enough flight hours to qualify.

As for the “cowardly coward” claims, Goldberg states:

For the record: George W. Bush has always maintained that he joined the National Guard not to avoid service in Vietnam but because he wanted to be a fighter pilot. He has openly acknowledged that he did not want to be drafted and serve in the infantry, and says he signed up for the Guard knowing full well he would have to spend almost two years in flight training and another four years in part-time service.

Predictably, those on the left will not be swayed by annoying things like facts discovered by independent investigators. You can see that in the comments on Goldberg’s site. To them, George Bush = Hitler, the Cowardly Lion, and Satan himself.

However, I have always held that history will judge President George W. Bush more kindly (and fairly) as time goes on. Yes, he had his flaws. He certainly couldn’t string his sentences together. But a cowardly draft dodger he was not.

via Hot Air