From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "Bush no-show is ‘downer’ for enlistees set to be sworn in":

Some 40 soldiers-to-be showed up at America's Center bright and early Tuesday, thrilled that they would be sworn in by none other than the nation's commander in chief.

The enlistees - each of whom hails from the area and is on the verge of beginning service with the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy or Coast Guard - were instructed to arrive at the convention center by 8 a.m., with plans for taking the oath of enlistment at about 9.

But President George W. Bush's plans didn't allow for the ceremony. The president didn't arrive in St. Louis until Tuesday afternoon, not long before his scheduled address at the American Legion Convention.

"I was definitely fired up, so it was a downer," said Aaron Darnell, 19, of St. Charles, who will begin a career in the Navy in March.

Based on the Fundraiser-in-Chief's recent behavior, it's hard not to suspect he would have found the time if the enlistees had been paying $2,000 each.