Buck,

As I have said before, I respect your service, your experience, and your opinions, even when I disagree. And on this point I must do so; there is no way that anyone can convince me that George Bush's military service was in any way satisfactorily fulfilled. He used his father's influence to get a cushy N.G. post, and then failed to properly fulfill his obligations.

I believe he then went on to use that same privilege and influence to get a "pass" and his discharge. Sorry, sir, I just can't agree with you here, even though I believe the arguments you make are made in good faith on your part.

At the same time, Kerry's service does little to impress me. You make some very good points about his three purple hearts, his abbreviated tour of duty, and his early discharge. Again, this is not a deciding factor in my vote, nor do I think it should be for anyone. I also agree with you, Buck, that Kerry has made too much of his service record, and invited this type of scrutiny and that he opened the door to this line of discussion.

Like I said in another post, I disagree with you on this point, Buck, and I personally have a bigger problem with Bush's service record than I do with Kerry's. That's just my opinion. You are certainly entitled to yours.

Respectfully,

Jim