".....Calling himself a 'war president', Bush said he expected the 2004 election to be fought over 'who can properly use American power'." He defended his actions regarding economic growth and the budget deficit. He said his "biggest disappointment" in office is that he is perceived as dividing the country rather than uniting it. Using many of the same lines he employs in stump speeches, Bush repeated assertions that the Iraq war was justified regardless of what weapons are found there.
Bush's promise to release all of his military files, including pay stubs and tax records, has potential to resolve the long debate about his service from May 1972 to May 1973. No records have been found indicating that he performed his duties during that period, but he received an honorable discharge, indicating he had served properly.
Experts in such matters have said payroll records and Bush's annual retirement "point summary" from the time - neither of which has been uncovered so far - should demonstrate definitively how often Bush participated in drills. Such records, unless they have been purged, should exist on microfiche in St. Louis or Denver.
Bush said it was unlikely those records still exist. Asked if he would allow their release, he replied, "Yeah, if we still have them. But, you know the records are kept in Colorado, as I understand, and they scoured the records." Bush also said his campaign had authorized the release of such information in the 2000 campaign, but no such information has been released."
The Oregonian "Bush backs off weapons claims" Monday Feburary 9, 2004 pg. A4
Referring to the NBC's "Meet the Press" interview broadcast on Sunday.