Go read this. Craig Unger writes in Salon about James Bath, the other person in Bush's unit who allegedly failed to show up in 1972 for his National Guard physical, whose name was mysteriously deleted from the partially released George W. Bush military records.

Who was Bath? The Texan businessman who apparently brought the families of bin Laden and Bush together in the 1970s. And why would the White House tried to shield his name? Take a guess. Bath also seems to have done some favors for the CIA.

By 1976, bin Laden had appointed Bath to be his American business representative. Bin Mahfouz drew up a similar arrangement with him. Bath was more than simply someone who could provide the Saudis with an entree to political power brokers. But exactly what he did beyond that, in the intelligence world and elsewhere, is shrouded in mystery. When asked about his career, Bath downplays his importance. By his account, he is merely "a small, obscure businessman." It has often been said that he was in the CIA, but Bath denied that to Time magazine. Later, he equivocated. "There's all sorts of degrees of civilian participation [in the CIA]," he told me. "It runs the whole spectrum, [from] maybe passing on relevant data to more substantive things. The people who are called on by their government and serve -- I don't think you're going to find them talking about it. Were that the case with me, I'm almost certain you wouldn't find me talking about it."

Worth reading.

Posted by Laura at April 27, 2004 01:59 AM