Tom Cruise?!?

Well, as the AWOL story slowly peters out, we're left with flaccid follow-up like this.

Although ... once you start to delve into the accounts of Bush's early-'70s, ahem, "lifestyle," things start to get a little ... suspect:

'The early 1970s was a time when Bush was living what Roome called the "Tom Cruise" time of his life -- driving a fast car, flying fighter jets and dating many women. That lifestyle has raised concerns that perhaps Bush neglected his duty or ran into trouble. Nothing in the records supports that theory, and Roome and Udell said nothing of the sort occurred.'

Now, I don't know about you kids out there, but when I hear a segment of someone's experience described as 'the "Tom Cruise" time of his life' ... well, let's just say that the third element of the triad described above is most assuredly not what comes to mind.

And right after that careful qualification of what precisely the WaPo thinks constitutes a '"Tom Cruise" time of one's life,' there's that tricksy little word "lifestyle" again.

I am beginning to think that all the lefty tinfoil-hat theories about Bush's departure from the National Guard are, shall we say, driving up the wrong alley.

I want to know more about this James Bath fellow who keeps cropping up in the Bush-National Guard narrative over at Calpundit's archive. He, apparently, was given the boot at the same time George was.

Hm. Hmmmmmm. You don't think ...