Powell: Bush guilty of "an antidemocratic disgrace"

The AP reminds us of how Colin Powell felt about the way the draft was run during Vietnam:

In his 1995 autobiography, "My American Journey," Powell characterized draft policies during most of the Vietnam era as "an antidemocratic disgrace."

"I am angry that so many sons of the powerful and well-placed managed to wangle slots in Reserve and National Guard units," he wrote.

Washington Post:

Former Texas House speaker Ben Barnes said he is "more ashamed at myself than I've ever been" because he helped President Bush and the sons of other wealthy families get into the Texas National Guard so they could avoid serving in Vietnam.

"I got a young man named George W. Bush into the National Guard . . . and I'm not necessarily proud of that, but I did it," Barnes, a Democrat, said in a video clip recorded May 27 before a group of John F. Kerry supporters in Austin.