I Suppose This Warrants a Mention

[Guest MikeSC]

OK, moveon.org has created groups to attack Bush's Guard Service.

 

I know, we've been over this ad infinitum and nothing has ever come up --- but hey, they'll never stop. As a huge plus, this gives SBVT even MORE free reign to slam Kerry.

 

"60 Minutes" is scheduled to interview Ben Barnes, Lt. Gov. of Texas in 1968 who claims he pulled strings to get Pres. Bush into the Guard.

 

Barnes, it should be noted, is one of Kerry's biggest fundraisers (and vice-chair of his campaign), raising over $500,000 for him. Which makes him even LESS reputable than the SBVT that the press loves to dismiss so thoroughly.

 

He ALSO testified, under oath, that he had no contact with the Bushes years ago. Bush Sr. was on Hannity & Colmes and said the charge was absurd.

 

And, as for the records that turned up in the last day or so,

Bush Guard Service, The True Story

Written by Gordon Bloyer

Thursday, August 26, 2004

 

 

 

      This is the only place that you will get the full and true story of President Bush’s Air National Guard service. There are no UNANSWERED questions. There are no missing records. He did not miss any meetings. The truth is known. You can find everything in this article, in other publications but none of the others are complete. You have to put them all together to get the full story. It is a shame that our national "objective" media refuse to do their job and put the whole story together.

 

      First, in answer to the charge that Bush was AWOL or missed meetings, George Bush was NEVER assigned to the Alabama Guard. This is a myth promoted by the "objective" media. Here is what really happened. Here is what the head of the Alabama Guard said.

 

Turnipseed states Bush was never ordered to report to the Alabama Air National Guard. He points out that Bush never transferred from the Texas Air National Guard to the Alabama Air National Guard. He remained in the Texas Guard during his stay in Alabama. This was confirmed by the Texas Guard. And Turnipseed added that Bush was never under his command or any other officer in the Alabama Guard.

 

Turnipseed added that Bush was informed of the drill schedule of the Alabama Guard as a courtesy so he could get credit for drills while in Alabama for his service record in the Texas Guard. There was no compulsory attendance. This was also confirmed by the Texas Guard.

 

      This was reported in the Chicago Sun-Times and has never been picked up by any other news organization. Turnipseed then also added.

 

For Bush to be "AWOL" or "away without leave," he would have had to have been assigned to a unit and under its command.

 

      For the liberals reading this, go back and read it again. You see, Bush did NOT miss any meetings. The whole argument is nonsense. He got permission from his commanding officer to go to Alabama and attend meetings as a courtesy so he could attend when he could. Another part of this attack is that no one saw Bush at the meetings he did attend. It was reported that Turnipseed never saw Bush. Read what was reported about that.

 

Turnipseed reversed gear after retired Lt. Col. John "Bill" Calhoun went public to say that not only did he remember Bush in Alabama, but that it was Turnipseed himself that introduced the two. Oops. And really...the media is completely asleep at the switch on this one. How many people that you saw a few times do you remember from 30 years ago?

 

      Why didn’t fellow pilots see Bush in Alabama? The planes being flown by the Alabama Guard were not the same as the F102 that Bush was trained on. Why would pilots see him if he was not flying? That is why Lt. Col. Calhoun came forward to say that was Bush was in his office for study and drill time. Remember he was not assigned to the unit, he did NOT have to be there.

 

      The following is from a letter by Col. William Campenni Ret. published in the Washington Times.

 

There was one big exception to this abusive use of the Guard to avoid the draft, and that was for those who wanted to fly, as pilots or crew members. Because of the training required, signing up for this duty meant up to 2½½ years of active duty for training alone, plus a high probability of mobilization. A fighter-pilot candidate selected by the Guard (such as Lt. Bush and me) would be spending the next two years on active duty going through basic training (six weeks), flight training (one year), survival training (two weeks) and combat crew training for his aircraft (six to nine months), followed by local checkout (up to three more months) before he was even deemed combat-ready. Because the draft was just two years, you sure weren't getting out of duty being an Air Guard pilot. If the unit to which you were going back was an F-100, you were mobilized for Vietnam. Avoiding service? Yeah, tell that to those guys. The Bush critics do not comprehend the dangers of fighter aviation at any time or place, in Vietnam or at home, when they say other such pilots were risking their lives or even dying while Lt. Bush was in Texas. Our Texas ANG unit lost several planes right there in Houston during Lt. Bush's tenure, with fatalities. Just strapping on one of those obsolescing F-102s was risking one's life.

 

      Here is some information that the "objective" media avoids telling you. John Kerry joined the Navy Reserve, he did not JOIN the Navy. The Reserve was just like the National Guard. Kerry did NOT know he would be sent to Vietnam.

 

      George Bush joined the Guard for a SIX-year term. If you are drafted, you only have to serve TWO years. Bush probably did not need to pull strings to get into a jet fighter unit. Jets required a greater time commitment than normal Guard postings. Pilots from the unit that he joined were being sent to Vietnam. All the publications that have researched this have concluded that there is NO evidence that he used any influence to get into the Guard. The liberal publications will say that there is no evidence, but it is still suspicious. That is a good journalistic standard? So, do you get it, Bush joined a unit that at the time was serving in Vietnam.

 

    The following is research from aerospaceweb.org ........

 

Nevertheless, we have established that the F-102 was serving in combat in Vietnam at the time Bush enlisted to become an F-102 pilot. In fact, pilots from the 147th FIG of the Texas ANG were routinely rotated to Vietnam for combat duty under a program called "Palace Alert" from 1968 to 1970. Palace Alert was an Air Force program that sent qualified F-102 pilots from the ANG to bases in Europe or southeast Asia for periods of three to six months for frontline duty. Fred Bradley, a friend of Bush's who was also serving in the Texas ANG, reported that he and Bush inquired about participating in the Palace Alert program. However, the two were told by a superior, MAJ Maurice Udell, that they were not yet qualified since they were still in training and did not have the 500 hours of flight experience required. Furthermore, ANG veteran COL William Campenni, who was a fellow pilot in the 111th FIS at the time, told the Washington Times that Palace Alert was winding down and not accepting new applicants.

 

As he was completing training and being certified as a qualified F-102 pilot, Bush's squadron was a likely candidate to be rotated to Vietnam. However, the F-102 was built for a type of air combat that wasn't seen during that conflict, and the plane was withdrawn from southeast Asia in December 1969. The F-102 was instead returned to its primary role of providing air defense for the United States. In addition, the mission of Ellington AFB, where Bush was stationed, was also changing from air defense alert to training all F-102 pilots in the US for Air National Guard duty. Lt. Bush remained in the ANG as a certified F-102 pilot who participated in frequent drills and alerts through April of 1972. ... By this time, the 147th Fighter Wing was also beginning to transition from the F-102 to the F-101F, an updated version of the F-101B used primarily for air defense patrols. Furthermore, the war in Vietnam was nearing its end and the US was withdrawing its forces from the theater. Air Force personnel returning to the US created a glut of active-duty pilots, and there were not enough aircraft available to accommodate all of the qualified USAF and ANG pilots. Since USAF personnel had priority for the billets available, many of the Air National Guard pilots whose enlistments were nearly complete requested early release. The ANG was eager to fulfill these requests because there was not enough time to retrain F-102 pilots to operate new aircraft before their enlistments were up anyway. Bush was one of those forced out by the transition, and he was honorably discharged as a first lieutenant in October 1973, eight months before his six-year enlistment was complete. Bush had approximately 600 flight hours by the time he completed his military service.

 

      The folks at aerospaceweb concluded.........

 

While Bush did not see combat in Vietnam, it is also obvious he was not seeking a way to avoid the risk of being sent to Vietnam. At the time he was training to be an F102 pilot, ANG units and that aircraft type were based in Vietnam.

 

      In conclusion, there is no evidence Bush got special treatment to join the Guard. He did NOT miss any meetings, he was not assigned to the Alabama Guard. The reason the so called "objective" media holds on to this myth is that it lets them keep asking, where was Bush? The issue of his being grounded is also answered because he would no longer be flying since his plane was obsolete and he did not have enough Guard time left to train in a new jet. You don’t need to report for a physical if you are not flying. Duh!

 

      Kerry joined the Navy Reserve and did not expect to go to Vietnam. When Kerry did go to Vietnam the swift boats were not during river patrols. They were doing coastal patrols and were not in much danger. That is when he volunteered to join the Swiftee’s. The assignment of those boats was changed after he was accepted for the duty. Surprise, he got action and the rest is disputed history.

 

      The information in this article was published in "George Magazine", "New York Times", "Washington Times", "Chicago Sun-Times", "Washington Post" and aerospaceweb.org.

http://www.chronwatch.com/content/contentD...ay.asp?aid=9259

Because the press is mis-reporting the story nicely thus far.

 

As pointed out in some places, though, this could easily bite Kerry in the ass. After all, Bush ISN'T running on his service and still signed the 180 form that Kerry, who IS running on his, refuses to.

-=Mike

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Question -- has Big Media ever interviewed the Swift Boat people? Just wondering because NBC is going to interview that Kitty chick whose work has been discredited (but I'm sure INXS loves her work)...

[Guest MikeSC]

Question -- has Big Media ever interviewed the Swift Boat people? Just wondering because NBC is going to interview that Kitty chick whose work has been discredited (but I'm sure INXS loves her work)...

I can't claim to know if they have. I don't recall an interview, but one MIGHT have happened --- but I can all but GUARANTEE it won't be as fawning as the Kitty interview will be (well, going with the track record of how Today treated her (for 3 days, just like now) when she released the insulting-to-the-intelligence Reagans book.

 

Keep in mind, the ONLY source she has for the "Bush did coke as Camp David while his dad was President" story was an ex-sister in law and the story is so shaky that most major news magazines passed on excerpts.

-=Mike

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

That blows my mind, too -- THREE DAYS?!?!...

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

Wait.. saying stuff that counters the charges you're currently making, while having ties to one side..

 

Mike, stop smearing Ben Barnes if you can't refute his allegations.

 

Bush's press secretary McClellan (*1) did call Barnes a partisan. Although Barnes did endorse McClellan's mom in 2002. But then again, you can't be too partisan in Texas, or you'll be unemployed.

 

*1 - I miss Ari

 

And a fun fact about Barnes and the office he held. From what i've read, the Lt. Governor of Texas has more power than even the Governor. I suspect there's a specific story that explains why they didn't give the Governor so much power, but I think Bush couldn't commute death sentances.

[Guest MikeSC]

Wait.. saying stuff that counters the charges you're currently making, while having ties to one side..

 

Mike, stop smearing Ben Barnes if you can't refute his allegations.

He testified under oath differently. There is zero corroboration for any of his stories. Bush's father denies it. Bush denies it.

 

Find me a few others who will corroborate this and I'll consider buying it.

Bush's press secretary McClellan (*1) did call Barnes a partisan. Although Barnes did endorse McClellan's mom in 2002. But then again, you can't be too partisan in Texas, or you'll be unemployed.

 

*1 - I miss Ari

 

And a fun fact about Barnes and the office he held. From what i've read, the Lt. Governor of Texas has more power than even the Governor. I suspect there's a specific story that explains why they didn't give the Governor so much power, but I think Bush couldn't commute death sentances.

Governors in Texas cannot commute death sentences (which is why the whole "Look how many people he executed in TX" annoyed me so), a board does that.

 

God knows why the TX State Constitution is how it is.

That blows my mind, too -- THREE DAYS?!?!...

Better that than listening to Couric talk.

 

I guess.

 

As for Barnes, from the GOP:

 

WHO IS BEN BARNES?

A Deep-Pocketed Kerry Partisan Who Can't Keep His Stories Straight

______________________________________________

 

Barnes Under Oath

 

Under Oath, Barnes Testified He Had No Contact With Bush Family Concerning National Guard.  "Ben Barnes, then the speaker of the Texas House, said in 1999 that Sidney Adger, a Houston businessman and longtime friend of the Bush family whose son also won a slot in the 147th, had asked him to help get Mr. Bush into the Guard. Mr. Barnes, who acknowledged a role only after he was questioned under oath, also said that he had spoken to the head of the Texas Air National Guard on Mr. Bush's behalf, but had no contact with anyone in the Bush family.  And there is no direct evidence that Mr. Bush's family pulled strings to get him into the 147th. Mr. Bush is firmly on record denying it, as is the commander of the unit, and there is no paper trail showing any influence by the Bush family."  (David Barstow, "In Haze Of Guard Records, A Bit Of Clarity," The New York Times, 2/15/04)

 

Barnes Said Reports He Helped Bush At His Father's Urging Were "False." "Former Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes denied a magazine report Thursday that he helped George W. Bush get a place in the Texas Air National Guard at the urging of Bush's father.  Bush, the Republican presidential front-runner, has repeatedly denied that he received preferential treatment in being accepted into the Guard during the Vietnam War. … 'I never spoke to Congressman Bush about his son,' Barnes said Thursday. 'The story is false.'"  (Renae Merle, "Barnes Denies Report That He Helped Bush Into The National Guard," The Associated Press, 7/15/99)

 

In Fall Of 1999, Barnes Said Bush Family Never Asked To Get President Bush Into National Guard.  "Mr. Bush has consistently said he never requested special treatment, though Ben Barnes, who was speaker of the Texas House in 1968, said in 1999 that he had been asked by a Houston businessman -- not by the Bush family -- to recommend Mr. Bush for a pilot's slot, and that he had done so."  (David M. Halbfinger, "Three Decades Later, Vietnam Remains A Hot Issue," The New York Times, 8/29/04)

 

But Now, Barnes' Story "Subject To Change"

 

Today, Barnes Claims He Is "Ashamed" He Got President Bush Into Texas Air National Guard.  "Former Texas House Speaker Ben Barnes said he is 'more ashamed at myself than I've ever been' because he helped President Bush and the sons of other wealthy families get into the Texas National Guard so they could avoid serving in Vietnam.  'I got a young man named George W. Bush into the National Guard ... and I'm not necessarily proud of that, but I did it,' Barnes, a Democrat, said in a video clip recorded May 27 before a group of John Kerry supporters in Austin.  Barnes, who was House speaker when Bush entered the Guard, later became lieutenant governor."  (Bobby Ross Jr., "Former Lawmaker Says He Got Bush Into The Texas Guard," The Associated Press, 8/28/04)

 

Yet, According To February 2004 New York Times Article, Barnes' Story "Was Subject To Change And There Were No Documents To Support His Claims." "Local reporters could coax one former Democratic state official into admitting, off the record, that he had interceded on Mr. Bush's behalf at the request of either a prominent Dallas businessman or George H. W. Bush, who was then a member of Congress. But the official's story -- the source was later revealed to be former Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes -- was subject to change and there were no documents to support his claims."  (Mimi Swartz, "In Search Of The President's Missing Years," The New York Times, 2/27/04)

 

Barnes Is Kerry Fundraiser And Advisor

 

Ben Barnes Is Kerry Campaign Vice-Chair, Raising Over $100,000 For Campaign. (Kerry For President Website, www.johnkerry.com/fec/, Accessed 9/4/04)

 

Barnes Considers John Kerry Close Personal Friend.  "Barnes, a government consultant with offices in Austin, Chicago and Washington, said: 'I'm just an enthusiastic participant' who considers as personal friends Corzine, Daschle and Kerry, whom he got to know during summer vacations in Nantucket."  (W. Gardner Selby, "Texas' Last 'Old Lion' Still On Prowl For Funds," San Antonio Express-Texas, 7/30/04)       

 

"Texans For Kerry" Website Links To Barnes Video. (Texans For Kerry Website, www.texansforkerry.com/texansforkerry/, Accessed 9/7/04)

 

Barnes Is Considered "A Definite In" In Kerry Administration.  "[barnes has] known Kerry since the 1980s. 'I don't know who's going to be in and who's going to be out' of a possible Kerry administration, Barnes said. 'But John Kerry has been sympathetic to Texas in the past. ... I would expect him to listen to our problems if he's in the White House.' Barnes is a definite in, though he says he'll keep working as a lobbyist based in Austin."  (Jay Root, "Texas Democrats Are Waiting In The Wings," Fort Worth Star Telegram, 7/31/04)

 

Barnes Owns Home Near Kerry's In Nantucket.  "Now a lobbyist and consultant, Barnes has a house near Kerry's in Nantucket, Mass., and committed to Kerry's White House bid nearly three years ago on the grounds of the Nantucket Golf Club."  (Jay Root, "Texas Democrats Are Waiting In The Wings," Fort Worth Star Telegram, 7/31/04)

 

Barnes Is Kerry "Super-Bundler" Fundraiser. "Eleven [Kerry super-bundlers] are from Texas, including Dallas plaintiff's lawyer Fred Baron and lobbyist Ben Barnes, a Lyndon Johnson protégé who served as lieutenant governor and is one of the national Democrat Party's most prodigious fund-raisers.  'If someone had told me last quarter that John Kerry would have raised as much money as he's been able to, I'd have said it couldn't happen. But I'm seeing it happen,' said Mr. Barnes, whose lobby clients have included American Airlines and the chemical giant Huntsman Corp."  (Wayne Slater, "Vested Interests In Kerry Lawyers, Lobbyists Top Donors List," Dallas Morning News, 7/26/04)

 

Opening Night Of Democratic Convention In Boston, "Kerry Adviser And Veteran Political Fund-Raiser"Barnes Hosted Party For Convention-Goers.  "On the opening night of the Democratic National Convention, more than 250 well-dressed people strayed from the convention, enjoying bubbly drinks and appetizers such as tablespoon-sized shrimp salads at a party hosted by former Texas Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes. Barnes, a Kerry adviser and veteran political fund-raiser, said he scheduled his event to remind potential donors about the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, which seeks to help Democrats recapture a majority in the U.S. Senate, where the GOP has a two-vote majority."  (W. Gardner Selby, "Texas' Last 'Old Lion' Still On Prowl For Funds," San Antonio Express-Texas, 7/30/04)     

 

In October 2003, Barnes Hosted Fundraiser For John Kerry.  "Democratic presidential contender John Kerry, counting on the Texas-Massachusetts connection that played better in the 1960s than it did in the 1980s, made three fund-raising stops in Texas on Wednesday as he campaigned toward primary season.  Kerry, a senator from Massachusetts, spoke to about 60 supporters at the Four Seasons Hotel here between stops in Dallas and Houston….In introducing Kerry here, former Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes likened him to Kennedy.  'He possesses the talent, the courage, the experience and the depth that will make him, as Jack Kennedy was in 1961, a president that has the determination to lead this country,' Barnes said."  (Ken Herman, "Kerry Plays Up Texas' Link To His Home State," Austin American-Statesman, 10/2/03)

 

Barnes Is A Partisan Democrat

 

Daschle Called Barnes "The Fifty-First Democratic Senator."  "Yet here he is in the rarefied atmosphere of big power and big-time politics -- one of the chief financial and strategic architects of the Democratic resurgence to parity (and subsequently control) in the Senate. Majority leader Tom Daschle has called him 'the fifty-first Democratic senator.'"  (Paul Burka, "So What If He Never Got To Be Governor Or President?" Texas Monthly, 9/01)

 

Barnes Attended Clinton Coffee Intended To Raise $500,000. "Newly released White House documents show that President Clinton's political operatives expected to raise $500,000 from a White House coffee for wealthy Texans in the summer, calling into question Clinton's assertion that 'no price tag was placed' on White House events.  In a July 14 memo to White House officials, campaign Chairman Peter Knight suggested adding the Texas coffee klatch to Clinton's schedule as part of an effort to raise $7.8 million in the state.  Knight predicted that the event would generate $500,000 in political contributions.  About 20 Texans, including former Gov. Dolph Briscoe, Land Commissioner Garry Mauro and former Lt.  Gov. Ben Barnes, attended the Aug. 23 get-together with the president."  (Ron Hutcheson, "Clinton's Fund-Raising Assertion Questioned," Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2/27/97)

-=Mike

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

He testified under oath differently. There is zero corroboration for any of his stories. Bush's father denies it. Bush denies it.

 

Find me a few others who will corroborate this and I'll consider buying it.

 

I don't think you'll be close to buying it if they have 8mm film of it happening.

 

Although, I don't know if Barnes will be going to jail for his first time if he gets nailed on perjury. He was also involved in some Texas scandal in the 1970s. And someone with the attitude of "I gotta help the rich kids get out of Vietnam" (as he said) is probably going to get nailed on ethics charges.

 

Governors in Texas cannot commute death sentences (which is why the whole "Look how many people he executed in TX" annoyed me so), a board does that.

 

It's the legal system, not Bush. I really don't claim that either.

 

God knows why the TX State Constitution is how it is.

 

#1 - the state has 254 counties (Texas is the only state that can choose to divide itself into five states)

 

#2 - probably something involving corruption. Maybe involving James Ferguson specifically. I'd figure a Texas governor would have done something to lose his pardon power.

 

#3 - The drinking water is bad.

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/polit...arnes092899.htm

 

Former speaker of the Texas House of Representatives Ben Barnes said under oath today that he recommended George W. Bush for a pilot's slot in the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam War at the behest of a Houston businessman close to the Bush family.

 

Testifying in a deposition for a lawsuit that has stirred up allegations of preferential treatment for Bush, now the governor of Texas seeking the Republican presidential nomination, Barnes said he relayed that information to a top Bush campaign official, Don Evans, more than a year ago.

 

In a statement issued after his deposition, Barnes said he assured Evans that neither Bush's father, former president George Bush, who was a Republican congressman from Houston when George W. entered the Guard in 1968, "nor any other member of the Bush family" asked Barnes for help.

 

I'd imagine the part of dispute involves if Barnes said that Bush's family didn't do that while under oath.

[Guest MikeSC]

He testified under oath differently. There is zero corroboration for any of his stories. Bush's father denies it. Bush denies it.

 

Find me a few others who will corroborate this and I'll consider buying it.

 

I don't think you'll be close to buying it if they have 8mm film of it happening.

 

Former speaker of the Texas House of Representatives Ben Barnes said under oath today that he recommended George W. Bush for a pilot's slot in the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam War at the behest of a Houston businessman close to the Bush family.

 

Testifying in a deposition for a lawsuit that has stirred up allegations of preferential treatment for Bush, now the governor of Texas seeking the Republican presidential nomination, Barnes said he relayed that information to a top Bush campaign official, Don Evans, more than a year ago.

 

In a statement issued after his deposition, Barnes said he assured Evans that neither Bush's father, former president George Bush, who was a Republican congressman from Houston when George W. entered the Guard in 1968, "nor any other member of the Bush family" asked Barnes for help.

I'd imagine the part of dispute involves if Barnes said that Bush's family didn't do that while under oath.

They don't have anything.

 

Media failed to find facts behind Bush's service record

 

February 11, 2004

 

BY THOMAS LIPSCOMB Advertisement

 

President Bush has had a rough 10 days, beginning with the Tim Russert "Meet the Press" interview on Feb. 1 of Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe, who charged Bush was "AWOL" and "never served in the military." Only a week later, Bush asked to appear on Russert's show in a clear attempt to stem the damage from these charges. For over a week they were endlessly repeated and never analyzed by the news media.

 

But the only basis for these charges was summarized by London's Sunday Telegraph on Feb. 8: "If the Vietnam veteran John Kerry becomes the next president, there will be one man to thank above all others: retired Brig. Gen. William Turnipseed."

 

It all started with a report by the Boston Globe during the 2000 presidential election questioning Bush's National Guard service. Walter Robinson cited retired Turnipseed, of the Alabama Air National Guard, as his source.

 

But in an interview , Turnipseed states that Robinson's reporting of their conversation was either distorted or based upon his misunderstanding of how the military functioned at the time of Bush's service. For Bush to be "AWOL" or "away without leave," he would have had to have been assigned to a unit and under its command.

 

Turnipseed states Bush was never ordered to report to the Alabama Air National Guard. He points out that Bush never transferred from the Texas Air National Guard to the Alabama Air National Guard. He remained in the Texas Guard during his stay in Alabama. This was confirmed by the Texas Guard. And Turnipseed added that Bush was never under his command or any other officer in the Alabama Guard.

 

Turnipseed added that Bush was informed of the drill schedule of the Alabama Guard as a courtesy so he could get credit for drills while in Alabama for his service record in the Texas Guard. There was no compulsory attendance.This was also confirmed by the Texas Guard.

 

Sen. John Kerry got in on the act on Sunday, asking, "was he [bush] present and active on duty in Alabama at the times he was supposed to be? I don't have the answer to that question." But as Turnipseed points out, Bush was never "supposed to be" anything in Alabama. And Kerry doesn't have "the answer" because he is taking advantage of a partisan political fantasy that has stayed aloft this long because of the lousy job done by the press in reporting on it.

 

Now, Robinson is beginning to have second thoughts. His latest column states: "President Bush received credit for attending Air National Guard drills in the fall of 1972 and spring of 1973 -- a period when his commanders have said he did not appear for duty at bases in Montgomery, Ala., and Houston -- according to two new documents obtained by the Globe." How could Robinson have gotten it so wrong?

 

The most charitable explanation for this distortion is the almost total ignorance the press of the realities of military service and its record-keeping. Yet Turnipseed has been repeatedly called by news organizations since the Globe reporting four years ago, and no one has chosen to correct the errors he has tried to point out or cover his denials.

 

The most startling aspect of this story is that the press has continually treated this affair as a political debate rather than a matter of fact.

 

An Air National Guard officer such as George Bush left an extensive paper trail of service. The vital summary sheet of a military record is a simple form called the DD214 or NGB 22. It covers all the basic questions being asked about Bush today. Every military veteran has one.

 

Kerry has one. On it are listed his dates of service, the nature of his discharge and the medals and service ribbons he has every reason to be proud of. It was filed away at the time of discharge and is almost impossible to alter.

 

Did a single member of the thousands in the press take the trouble to look up just one DD214 or NGB22 -- President Bush's?

 

Apparently not. And that is the saddest part of the story.

 

There was already an exhaustive look at Bush's National Guard records published and available on the Internet to any reporter who has written on this in the last week. None of whom bothered to look it up. It's title? "The Real Military Record of George W. Bush: Not Heroic, But Not AWOL, Either." It was "the first full chronology" and concludes "he did accumulate the days of service required of him for his ultimate honorable discharge."

 

The article included the pasteup pay records just released by the White House. It also included the "two new documents obtained by the Globe" by Robinson.

 

It was published four years ago in George Magazine. Its publisher was that well-known GOP supporter -- the late John F. Kennedy, Jr.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/elect/cst-nws-banal11.html

Hell, the only plus of this is it shows the blatant bias of the media.

Although, I don't know if Barnes will be going to jail for his first time if he gets nailed on perjury. He was also involved in some Texas scandal in the 1970s. And someone with the attitude of "I gotta help the rich kids get out of Vietnam" (as he said) is probably going to get nailed on ethics charges.

Who would charge him? Hell, Bush would fight anybody doing that because the Dems would blame Bush for it.

 

Nobody has ever actually said --- well, until Barnes' project Kerry ran, that Bush DID pull any strings. Hell, you wouldn't pull strings --- to become a fighter pilot. Jeez, that's time-consuming.

-=Mike

[Vyce 0]

It's nice to see that the Democrats still have their heads firmly up their asses as far as running this campaign goes - instead of focusing on domestic issues, which is the (minor) chink in Bush's armor, they go back to this nonsense.

 

But I'm glad they did, because it destroys whatever moral highground they possibly had with the Swift Boat Vets. Sorry, folks - you don't get to cry foul and then turn around and do the same thing in return.

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

SBVFT was all over the Sunday talk shows for two weeks straight.

[Jobber of the Week 0]

Question -- has Big Media ever interviewed the Swift Boat people? Just wondering because NBC is going to interview that Kitty chick whose work has been discredited (but I'm sure INXS loves her work)...

Maybe you didn't see them, but they were all over. I saw Van Odell on several different news/analysis programs.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

But were they on BIG MEDIA?...

[Jobber of the Week 0]

I don't know, my cable company refuses to carry BIG MEDIA. Something about limited bandwith.

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

They were on Meet the Press, etc.

 

It was BIG MEDIA, man. BIG.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Wow, that's pretty big, although I like Russert, so I just put a "*" next to him on my BIG MEDIA list...

[Guest Loss]

It's nice to see that the Democrats still have their heads firmly up their asses as far as running this campaign goes - instead of focusing on domestic issues, which is the (minor) chink in Bush's armor, they go back to this nonsense.

The Dems are shooting themselves in the foot all over the place in what should be a fairly easy victory given the circumstances. I agree. I'd rather see focus on Kerry's voting record in the Senate and the reality of Bush's Presidency than all the military bullshit. I couldn't care less about either man's military record. I care about what they're doing here and now in 2004.

[Dr. Tom 0]

It only makes sense. Al Gore ran a dreadful campaign in 2000, turning what should have been an easy victory into the boondoggle we all remember. Kerry is apparently trying to outdo him by running an even worse campaign, and if that's his goal, he's doing a smashing job so far.

 

"Senator Kerry, what about education?"

"I was in Vietnam, dammit. VIETNAM~!"

"Senator, what about the War on Terror?"

"I spent four months in VIETNAM~!"

"Senator, what about the economy?"

"I won three Purple Hearts in VIETNAM~!"

"Senator, what about health care?"

"I will now yield the floor to my fucking psycho wife..."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"... who did not serve, as I did, in VIETNAM~!"

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

General, how many tours of duty did America's Vietnam War Hero serve?...