Sir,

I'd like to start my counter-argument with the President's motivation
for entering the ANG. G.W. Bush stated to the Dallas Morning News
that, "I was not prepared to shoot my eardrum out with a shotgun in
order to get a deferment.
Nor was I willing to go to Canada." (MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4271520/ )

If G.W. Bush could pass a Class A flight physical, he could have
joined practically any active-duty unit that deployed to SEA. Simply,
George Bush did not answer his country's call in its most difficult
times.

Whether or not he was a good fighter pilot becomes irrelevant if he
was vaulted over 500 other candidates for a intensely competetive ANG
billet with a 25% score in his pilot's aptitude test. (Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp...nguage=printer)

After earning the coveted US Air Force wings at the cost of several
hundred thousand dollars to the American Taxpayers, he completes less
than 200 flight hours in F-102 Daggers





Ed Rasimus wrote in message
Third, drug testing was not routine during the period in question. It
was available to commanders on a "suspicion" basis but seldom
applicable to aircrews. Random drug testing for lower rank enlisted
came into practice in '73-74 and was expanded to all ranks by the end
of the decade long after Bush was discharged from the ANG.

Fourth, even when drug testing was instituted, it was NEVER part of a
flight physical which was a scheduled event--hence a druggie could
clean up before the physical. Drug testing was separate, done under
controlled conditions and with samples handled in a total different
chain than urinalysis from annual physicals.

Fifth, some folks don't have an all-encompassing interest in flying
fighters for a career. They may have other goals and ambitions.
Nothing at all unusual about that.


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
"Phantom Flights, Bangkok Nights"
Both from Smithsonian Books
***www.thunderchief.org