New Rules

statesman.com: Bush's Guard service may affect Miers nomination

A former Texas lottery official, who claimed that then-Gov. George W. Bush's desire to cover up his National Guard record helped steer decisions about a key lottery contract, said he wants to talk to senators about Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers' possible role in that effort.

"If I were to be subpoenaed to come to the thing, I would come," said Lawrence Littwin, who filed a lawsuit after he was fired as the lottery's executive director in 1997. "I would say the committee, I think, would be interested."

Littwin claimed in a federal lawsuit that lottery operator GTECH held sway over the Texas Lottery Commission because former GTECH lobbyist Ben Barnes was involved in helping get Bush into the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam War.

How much have things changed in the life of Gee Dubya in the last few months? A year ago, the Republicans would have circled the wagons around their President, and Littwin couldn't have gotten within a country mile of the Judiciary Committee. Now, the Republicans might be the ones to subpoena him.