Why? I'll Tell You Why...

Dave Neiwert nicely sums up exactly why AWOL REMAINS an issue to deal with.

About the only thing I'll add to this is my previous contention that it matters BECAUSE Bush referred to his clean service record in his book--and, while I'm sorry that I'm not plowing through the myriad comments at an Atrios post, I promise that if you look through one of the recent AWOL pieces (the one about how tampering with Bush's record is IN ITSELF a crime--and it WAS tampered with), you'll discover that Bush in 1978 REALLY padded his resume by claiming he was a veteran of THE AIR FORCE--not the TANG.

Yes, character matters. And Bush's character is evident: he's a liar, he's a cheat, and he's someone who refuses to acknowledge responsibility for his failures--which, if you read the SouthKnoxBubba post linked to below--are many.