Here’s an interview with retired Col. Walter “Buck” Staudt, whose name was used in the forged memo you see blinking at the top of this page: Staudt speaks out about Bush memo debacle. (Hat tip: Power Line.)

Ever since he was named in a controversial memo CBS aired purporting to prove that President George W. Bush’s Texas Air National Guard service record was “sugar-coated” due to political pressure, Staudt has been bombarded by reporters wanting him to verify or disavow those claims. When the phone rings, he does not answer, and when someone comes to the door, he only opens it a crack.

“I counted up to 40 calls last Monday, but I probably got 50 or 60 phone calls that day,” he said. “Lots of them even come to the door.”

Staudt, 81, has only given interviews to ABC and the Herald-Zeitung. He is not trying to be rude, but he has answered these questions before.

“The subject started when (Bush’s) daddy ran for vice president, and it’s been going on ever since,” he said. “I don’t have much to tell. It’s simple to me. There was no political influence. That’s the truth.”

Read it all; Staudt impresses me as a no-nonsense guy. The contrast between Walter Staudt and Bill Burkett—the man in whom CBS News placed their trust—is very telling.