Rep. Rangel - Why This Is Important

MEET THE PRESS - REP RANGEL - ...You know, it was Governor Bush or George Bush who climbed out of a combat fighter plane in camouflage full-combat uniform. He is the one that brings his military service into issue. And the fact that he avoided going into combat, that he deliberately stated that he didn't want to run to Canada, he didn't want to be an infantryman in Vietnam and he joined the Air Guard--now, they're serious questions. Thanks to you, he promised to release all of his weapons. But whether or not he refused to take a physical, whether or not he was suspended as a pilot, whether or not he avoided doing military duty in order to participate in a campaign, whether or not he left early to go to Harvard Business School, these are issues which President Bush has focused. And so if he wasn't where he was supposed to be, let the records speak for themself. But to say that this is a gutter politics issue when the president raised them--that is what [GOP Head] Ed Gillespie is saying--I think it is just wrong.

MR. RUSSERT: So the president has not satisfied you on this issue yet?

REP. RANGEL: It's the American people. And the records have not indicated as to whether or not after all of the hundreds of thousands of dollars that it took to train this man, then why was his pilot's ability to fly suspended? Why was he able to get involved in the campaign? These are really issues especially when he says on your program that he's the war president and that he is willing to have a whole lot of Americans, over 530 lives lost, 2,000 people maimed, for a war that we didn't have to fight according to some of the experts. And now we're challenging whether or not he's properly served this country. I think these are legitimate issues.

MR. RUSSERT: Congressman, he was honorably discharged. That must mean something.

REP. RANGEL: It does mean something but it didn't mean that he volunteered to go to Vietnam. It didn't mean that he served in combat. And all I'm saying is that I know the National Guard and the National Guard that we got today that I, with tears in my eyes, see go over to Vietnam and then the Reservists that we have today. This is not what we had in the '70s. This is something that our men and women did not expect to have to do. And when he gets on your program and says that we're disintegrating the National Guard, we are not. They didn't have the record-keeping ability. That's why the president has to come forward and not just wait for someone to say, "I remember seeing him once in the chow line," or, "I think I saw him." He was George Bush's son. Everyone knew who he was.

Link from Democrats.com.