Not literally. He just suggested that they did a shitty job.

This is reportedly what George Bush said to Connie Chung in 1988 when he was interviewed at the RNC in New Orleans:

CONNIE CHUNG: The problem, though, would be is if, indeed, [Dan Quayle] made several phone calls or some people made phone calls on his behalf to get him into the National Guard. I mean, did that happen to you? Were you…

BUSH (interrupting): No. I don’t think so. But in those days, people were going into the service all different branches. And if you want to go into the National Guard, I guess sometimes people make calls. I don’t see anything wrong with, a matter of fact I’m glad he served his country. And serving in the National Guard is serving in the military. They probably should have called the National Guard up in those days. Maybe we’d have done better in Vietnam.

Nice.

I haven’t seen the clip (yet), but ten bucks and my left testicle says that he smirked at the end of that quote.

And another thing . . .

IF they did call up the Guard, Bush probably wouldn’t have gone. Heck, as the newly-released Bush service records (released today) show, Bush’s Texas unit joined a "24-hour active alert mission to safeguard against surprise attack" in the southern United State beginning on Oct. 6, 1972. That didn’t include Bush though — he had not reported for duty.

So, Dubya. You couldn’t even defend the Southern United States back then. Duly noted.

Hat tip: Duncan