My wife and I have a son. Our only child. He's almost 18, now. He is the center of our universe. I'd do everything in my power to get him into the Guard, or anything equally as honorable. There is no dishonor in serving at home. To besmirch anyone's duty in the Guard is to belittle thousands of good Americans. So what if Bush got preferrential treatment to get in? (and I'm not saying he did) That's the way it was then, and still is today. The spot he was applying for was and still is extremely competitive, and very few candidates got selected without "knowing someone".
A little side note: Bush entered the Guard in May of '68. The period the Dem's are so apoplectic about is a few months in '72 (or is it '73? I forget). The point is, that was into Bush's 5th year of his 4 year obligation. Am I missing something here? It seems a no-brainer to me that this is a dead issue.