DougR, the records you refer are not nearly as definitive as you make them sound. They show Bush was PAID, not that he SERVED. From the CNN.com story on the records:

But under questioning from reporters, McClellan said the records do not specifically show that Bush reported for Guard duty in Alabama, where he spent much of 1972 working on a Senate campaign. And he said the White House has been unable to locate anyone who remembers serving with Bush during that period.

So, if he got paid but did not report, that's no more definitive than a claim that he got an honorable discharge and therefore was not AWOL. He may have been AWOL without being charged (or having his pay docked).

I think it's funny, BTW, that conservatives who want to defend Bush end up arguing that the children of the privileged couldn't POSSIBLY have gotten special treatment, but then level the exact same charge against Democratic politicians.