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BUSH'S PAYROLL RECORDS FOUND!
<small>DRUDGE REPORT | 7/24/04
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Pentagon Releases Bush's Guard Records
WASHINGTON - The Pentagon (news - web sites) on Friday released payroll records from President Bush (news - web sites)'s 1972 service in the Alabama National Guard, saying its earlier contention the records were destroyed was an "inadvertent oversight."
The records cover July through September of 1972, when Bush was working as a campaign volunteer in Alabama. The future president had been transferred from the Texas Air National Guard to the Alabama unit so he could stay in Alabama.
The release came days before Democrats began their national convention in Boston to officially nominate Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites) as their presidential candidate.
Democrats have sought to contrast Bush's National Guard service with Kerry's Vietnam War record. Kerry enlisted in the Navy, volunteered for combat in Vietnam and earned several medals including a Silver Star, a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts. After returning from Vietnam, Kerry became a prominent anti-war activist.
The Associated Press had asked a federal judge July 16 to order the Pentagon to quickly turn over a copy of the pay records. The AP had sued under the Freedom of Information Act to obtain the records from a state library records center in Texas.
Records of Bush's National Guard service released previously did not conclusively show whether Bush fulfilled his service requirements in 1972 and 1973, during the Vietnam War.
Bush had transferred to an Alabama National Guard unit while he worked on the U.S. Senate campaign of Republican Winton Blount, a family friend.
The Pentagon had said that the payroll records for that time period had been inadvertently destroyed.
In a letter to The Associated Press Friday, Pentagon freedom of information chief C.Y. Talbot said the records couldn't be found earlier because officials were using the wrong index number.
The Associated Press was evaluating the documents.
<small>DRUDGE REPORT | 7/24/04
</small>
<small>
</small>
Pentagon Releases Bush's Guard Records
WASHINGTON - The Pentagon (news - web sites) on Friday released payroll records from President Bush (news - web sites)'s 1972 service in the Alabama National Guard, saying its earlier contention the records were destroyed was an "inadvertent oversight."
The records cover July through September of 1972, when Bush was working as a campaign volunteer in Alabama. The future president had been transferred from the Texas Air National Guard to the Alabama unit so he could stay in Alabama.
The release came days before Democrats began their national convention in Boston to officially nominate Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites) as their presidential candidate.
Democrats have sought to contrast Bush's National Guard service with Kerry's Vietnam War record. Kerry enlisted in the Navy, volunteered for combat in Vietnam and earned several medals including a Silver Star, a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts. After returning from Vietnam, Kerry became a prominent anti-war activist.
The Associated Press had asked a federal judge July 16 to order the Pentagon to quickly turn over a copy of the pay records. The AP had sued under the Freedom of Information Act to obtain the records from a state library records center in Texas.
Records of Bush's National Guard service released previously did not conclusively show whether Bush fulfilled his service requirements in 1972 and 1973, during the Vietnam War.
Bush had transferred to an Alabama National Guard unit while he worked on the U.S. Senate campaign of Republican Winton Blount, a family friend.
The Pentagon had said that the payroll records for that time period had been inadvertently destroyed.
In a letter to The Associated Press Friday, Pentagon freedom of information chief C.Y. Talbot said the records couldn't be found earlier because officials were using the wrong index number.
The Associated Press was evaluating the documents.