It’s not who did or didn’t go to war, who did or didn’t support Vietnam, who was or wasn’t injured abroad or defending the homeland. It’s the trail of lies in the form of memoirs, advertisement, and puffed-up resume line items (Daily Kos :: New US NEWS undisputed analysis: Bush was AWOL):
Some experts say they remain mystified as to how Bush obtained an honorable discharge.
Only people with connections can purchase their honor.
Mark A. R. Kleiman has a good summary of the state of the “Bush refused a direct order” story: (Killian memos/Bush TANG summary)