Last night, Wesley Clark got a lot of flack from the fair and balanced pundits at Fox News following the New Hampshire debate cosponsored by the network. Their criticism stemmed from Clark’s resistance to denounce supporter Michael Moore’s assertion that George W. Bush was a deserter. Instead Clark maintained his stance that the charges have been bandied about by others over the past few years and whether they’re true or not, he doesn’t plan to focus on the past when he takes Bush on in November.

As a voter, I was more than satisfied with Clark’s answer. After all, it’s his job to beat Bush, not defend him. Moreover, Bush’s military record is something that has indeed been disputed, and as long as it remains unclear whether the President was a deserter or not, no one should feel obligated to state without question one way or the other. Sean Hannity might have realized this if he hadn’t spent the bulk of the time following the debate drooling all over Joe Lieberman’s phallus.

Anyway, just because Wes Clark has the dignity to not delve into Bush’s disputed service with the Air National Guard, doesn’t mean I do.

First, these are Bush’s actual military records.

Next, this is an article written by Iowa farmer Marty Heldt, the man who originally requested the records via the Freedom of Information Act.

This is a piece by a former Air National Guardsman that claims “[p]ilot George W. Bush did not simply “give up flying” with two years left to fly, as has been reported. Instead, Bush was suspended and grounded, very possibly as a direct or indirect result of substance abuse.”

Finally, this is a 2000 Salon article about the whole fiasco:

The officer Bush was supposed to report to, Lt. Col. William Turnipseed, says he never saw Bush. Bush swears he was there. “Governor Bush specifically remembers pulling duty in Montgomery and respectfully disagrees with the colonel,” Bush spokesman Dan Bartlett told George Magazine.