Bush Defends Guard Duty After Democrat Attacks

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=584&ncid=584&e=1&u=/nm/20040208/pl_nm/campaign_bush_guard_dc

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush (news - web sites) accused Democrats on Sunday of misrepresenting his record of attendance in the Air National Guard at the height of the Vietnam war, insisting "I did my duty" far from the front-lines although there may be no evidence. snip


Unlike Kerry, Bush did not volunteer to serve in Vietnam. Instead he joined the Texas Air National Guard. "I flew fighters and enjoyed it, and we provided a service to our country," he told NBC's "Meet the Press." snip


Democrats have long challenged Bush's record of attendance in the guard in 1972 when he transferred temporarily to an Alabama unit to work on a political campaign. snip


Asked why no evidence has been found to show he reported to duty in Alabama during the summer and fall of 1972, Bush said: "There may be no evidence, but I did report. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been honorably discharged... I did show up in Alabama." snip

more...My guess is that this interview will just raise more questions than about Juniors AWOL rather than quashing them.

[Wickerman]

1. we owe a debt of gratitude to both Meyers and Jennings for bringing this

to the forefront for 2004. I was really annoyed at the way that Jennings did it, but it was a way to get it out there. And thanks to Mike for always being out there.

[leftchick]

9. Michael Moore?

I believe you mean Michael Moore.... Mike Meyers is....

[Wickerman]

34. Lol

that is funny. sorry about that, gang, two mm's, both Canadiens. er, no, how about both funny? Ok, Meyers used to be... I have no idea why little slip - I needed my Sunday nap?

[rocktivity]

23. Gotcha, Jennings!

You're right about Jennings, Lunabush--I've been laughing up my sleeve about it. I'll bet he thought he was the bee's knees coming up with such a brilliant "gotcha" question. Now the Bush White House is thisclose to putting out a contract on him, LOL!


rocknation

[JoFerret]

2. Note how he diverts attention to the Guard

- turning questions about him to questions about the Guard itself. Weasel.

[havocmom]

8. We have to call him on this every time he pulls it

No one is attacking the National Guard. They are attacking bush* weasling out of any risk of going to Nam by getting preferential consideration to get into the Guard then going AWOL after learning to fly an obsolete fighter and refusing to take a physical.

Beat that drum till everybody gets the truth of the situation. Do not let anyone spin it to 'dems attacking the Guard'.

[alcuno]

3. "I did show up in Alabama."

To me that means he was in the state of Alabama; that doesn't mean he showed up for his guard duty. More word parsing.

[NNN0LHI]

5. He doesn't mention that he went to Alabama to work on a political campaign

That little detail seems kind of important to the story.

Don

[Virginian]

7. Good catch.

I sort of missed that little truthism.
True = He showed up in Alabama as stated.
False = He showed up for Guard duty in Alabama as heard by the members of his cult.

I hated how he twisted the criticism to sound like the Dems were saying National Guard duty was not honorable.

[Elidor]

25. Just a sign of how desperate he is to change the subject

He's really scared about his TANG records. Someone should ask him why the head of the government can't come up with any records to refute the charges. Poor little preznit, everybody's picking on him. WAAAAAAAA!!! :cry:

[Dr Fate]

14. Wow- I've "showed up in Alabama" before too!

It was for a Grateful Dead show. We did not do cocaine though, just a few beers...

[rocktivity]

20. I showed up at an Alabama military base

I was just there to help shoot a commercial, but I figure that means I not only served, but more honorably than Georgie did!


rocknation

[Name removed]

36. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Dr Fate]

49. He lied when he was asked about drug use.

Look it up on google for yourself. If you have never heard of this, then you need to practice research.
Bush has given contradictory answers about his drug use- baloney answers like"I could have passed the FBI test when my father was in office..."

Only he fails to mention that there are 3 different FBI tests, with different tolling...

Look it up...

[alittlelark]

52. Rincon's cruisin the posts tonight!

He has the look of a coke freak - I know, no proof, just google it!!
You never answered my question, who did you vote for in 2000?

[JoFerret]

4. Rate the story

keep up the pressure. Too bad Terry McA 's words can be seen to disparage the Guard considering how they are currently being deployed, but no matter. Kerry knows better.

[leetrisck]

6. There's another reason this is coming up now

Guard & Reserve that are going AWOL are now being prosecuted and sent to jail -

[NNN0LHI]

10. Yup, yup. n/t

[Just Me]

31. Hell yeah,...Bush went AWOL and wasn't prosecuted,...why should we!!!

If our President could OPT out, why can't we???? Being a BRAT with money and influence doesn't cut the rock of freedom, democracy and justice in this country. How can you escape the abuse of the "lower class" by the "higher class", Dubya and the neocon cabal? Your "positions" require a "sobriety" check. You deserve to feel the heat against you stone-cold hearts.

[Cooley Hurd]

17. Good point - some stories...

AWOL soldier seeks sanctuary in church
<snip>
In the Army's eyes, Padula is absent without leave.

"Right now, he is breaking military law," said Lt. Col. Daniel Baggio, chief of public affairs for III Corps and Fort Hood.
</snip>

Calls from soldiers desperate to leave Iraq flood hotline
<snip>
The GI Rights Hotline, a national soldiers' support service, has logged a 75 percent increase in calls in the last 12 weeks, with more than 100 of those calls from soldiers, or people on their behalf, asking about the penalties associated with going AWOL - "absent without leave" - according to volunteers and staffers who man the service.

Many of the calls have come from soldiers who are among those now on the first wave of 15-day authorized leaves that began almost two weeks ago. Some hotline callers have indicated they may not return, staffers said.

"What would happen if I just don't go back" to Iraq, one soldier asked a worker at a GI support-line center.
</snip>

<snip>
Pentagon officials said they had no up-to-date numbers on soldiers who have gone AWOL since the Iraq campaign, but an affidavit that surfaced at a recent court martial for a soldier charged with desertion put the number at more than 50.

Most of those charged were reservists who were activated and did not report, said Steve Collier, a lawyer representing a soldier charged with desertion.

Penalties for going AWOL range from a bad-conduct discharge to a court martial and jail time.

Military officials maintain that morale remains high among soldiers, who are paid more in combat zones, and that authorized leaves are being granted as "an investment in readiness."
</snip>

Five soldiers have gone AWOL from Fort McCoy
<snip>
AWOL soldiers are reported to the National Crime Information Center as military deserters. Once caught, a deserter can be reassigned to the military, dishonorably discharged or punished under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which could include prison time for the military crime, Fournier said.
</snip>

[mn9driver]

11. If he did his guard drills, there would be SOME record of it.

Pay records, tax records, retirement points, drill receipts, something. It's peculiar how none of these documents seem to exist.

"...Asked why no evidence has been found to show he reported to duty in Alabama during the summer and fall of 1972, Bush said: "There may be no evidence, but I did report. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been honorably discharged..."

He was honorably discharged because his Daddy was connected. How long is the media going to let him get away with this c**p?

[Sibanetta]

18. It isn't what you know, it's who you know

and Poppy Bush knows all the right people: what we have to accept is that our media is compromised...owned by the huge corporations that support Bush and his ilk. That's why we have to support any and all efforts to establish a more honest, forthright and above all INDEPENDENT system.

Sibanetta

[llmart]

12. Why wouldn't there be any evidence?

Like the military destroys all their records?

You'd have to be pretty naive to believe the shit he dishes out. My husband was in the Guard in 1972 and he remembers full names of lots of his cohorts. Hell, even I remember how much money his checks were for. Where's the list of Bush's fellow comrades? Call a few of them. Where's the pay records?

Lies, all of it.

[Stephanie]

24. The records were scrubbed, that's why

He sent henchmen to scrub the records while he was Gov.

But there must be some they missed.

[Karenina]

30. Did he not use the word "scoured"

on MTP? Hmmm....

[LiberalFighter]

41. Could it be that the records that were lost are the ones

that would be more damaging then just being AWOL?

[Name removed]

46. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[alittlelark]

51. Kinda like the lost records of countless repug companies

over the last few years. Saw you in another post. You never answered my question....Who did you vote for on 2000??!

[Dr Fate]

13. Uhh, was Bush "under oath" when he said this?

remember, this is the same guy who lied about WMDs and Saddam-9/11 connections- lies that resulted in the deaths of over 500 troops.

If he would lie about somthing as grave as our reasons for war, then he would lie about this...

[amber dog democrat]

15. If Bush really did serve honorably

this issue would NEVER have come up.
I am so pleased this issue is finally surfacing -
Bush's defence is also taking him off message.

Kinda reminds of "I am not a crook".

[grasswire]

16. he said he would release his records

We must start the drumbeat. When? When? When?

That's the followup.

[Sibanetta]

19. Absolutely!

..and incessantly! Teflon George should not be allowed to slip away from this one...and I think that we Dems, Liberals, Independents, Progressives, Greens et al, need to make it known, loudly and proudly that we support and respect the National Guard...Arbuston is trying to make it look like we are saying negative things about the NG.


Sibanetta

[librechik]

21. "People have been looking for these records for years,

and they can't be found,trust me "

No shit!!! That is the problem, isn't it?

[LiberalFighter]

39. Did he authorize the release of the records?

Russert: But would you allow pay stubs, tax records, anything to show that you were serving during that period?

President Bush: Yeah. If we still have them, but I you know, the records are kept in Colorado, as I understand, and they scoured the records.

Russert: Would you authorize the release of everything to settle this?

President Bush: Yes, absolutely.

We did so in 2000, by the way.

[Stephanie]

22. I see we've lost the "Democrat" vs. "Democratic" battle

Who writes the headlines for Yahoo?

[truthisfreedom]

28. no we haven't. you can simply identify republican propaganda more easily

now. every time you detect that improper reference, you'll know.

[Beetwasher]

26. Nobody's Going to Buy the "There's No Evidence, but I Served"

It's such obvious bullshit. He's praying this just goes away, or he's fucked on this. His credibility is shot to hell.

[osaMABUSh]

27. MTP: Bush is on the defensive on everything.

CNN.com has several headlines and bylines:

"Bush defends Iraq war"

"Bush defends economic record"

"Bush's military record"

[daleo]

29. This is bad for Bush

Under the principle that forcing your opponent to deny something is half the game. It does show that this is getting to him. I am surprised that they haven't 'found' some records in a shoe box somewhere to absolve him. It must be tougher to fake these things than most people suspect. Same goes for WMD.

[NNN0LHI]

32. Especially if one does not know whether someone has the real documents

Could cause people to lose sleep at night.

Don

[Bozvotros]

33. If they get caught faking evidence (again) they are totally toast....

and nothing will be able to save him. Bush has so far been able to pretend to be above and beyond the fray, as though somehow it is preposterous to accuse him of these things. But the flop sweat is pouring off of him now and today's performance with his stammering,incoherence, quasi denials and equivocations, has put him square in the fray.

A junior high cub reporter could have taken Bush out today with one or two more follow up questions referencing PNAC, the OSP, his bogus autobiography, drug testing in the TANG or by simply playing one of the many easily available compilations of his administrations lies and exaggerations. But Russert let him slink off. I think Russert was almost shocked at how defenseless and pathetic Bush sounded. Away from his keepers, Bush is hapless, hopeless, dependent on the mercy of the press and I think there are signs they are sick of propping him up.

[LiberalFighter]

40. Could it be because they used typewriters back then...

instead of computers?

[reprobate]

44. Many of us here at DU have copies of his military records.

They are out there on the web and anyone can download them. This is a red herring. He knows what the records will show.

http://users.cis.net/coldfeet/document.htm

Use the link above and get them yourself.

[LeinesRed]

35. it's not the Guard duty

itself...Crusader Bunnypants...it's the guard duty you DIDN'T do!
Russert just let him act as if Democrats have a problem with the National Guard. Won't work...

[banana republican]

37. I used to own a drycleaners

No ticket No wash.

So please show me the ticket!!!!!

I don't want to beleive that you are a deserter!!!!

Prove it ain't so......

[NNN0LHI]

38. Some Of The Military records of George Walker Bush

The Military records of George Walker Bush


http://users.cis.net/coldfeet/document.htm

The following documents were obtained using the processes outlined in the Freedom Of Information Act

Document 2 - ( doc2.gif)-Second Bush request for temporary transfer

Document 4 - ( doc4.gif) -Annual Officer Effectiveness Report part 1

Document 5 - (doc5.gif)-HQ disallows transfer

Document 6 - ( doc6.gif)-lt. Colonel Brickens Response

Document 7 - ( doc7.gif) -First transfer request

Document 9 - ( doc9.gif)-Annual Officer Effectiveness Report part 2

Document 10 ( doc10.gif)- Chronological Listing

Document 11 - ( doc11.gif)-HQ approval.

Document 12 - (doc12.gif)-HQ request for more information

Document 14 - ( doc14.gif)-Bush duty assignments

Document 16 - (doc16.gif)-1973 days credited.

Document 17 - ( doc17.gif)-Orders to report for active duty.

Document 20 - ( Doc20.gif)- Bush request for discharge from Texas Air NationalGuard and Transfer to inactive reserves

Document 21 - ( Doc21.gif)- Texas Air National Guard OK for transfer to inactive reserves

Document ANG22 -( ang22.gif) - Bush discharge papers

Document 23 - ( doc23.gif)-Penalty for bad attendance

Document 24 -( doc24.gif) -Statement of intent: "Flying is lifetime goal."

Document 25 - ( doc25.gif)-TXANG Request to be notified if Bush is assigned to reserves. May 72

Document 26 -( doc26.gif)- Contract of Service

Document 27 -( doc27.gif)- Request Discharge

Document 28 - ( doc28.gif)-"Not available for administrative reasons."

Document 30- ( grounded.gif)- Bush's suspension from flying.

[reprobate]

45. Sorry, NNNOLHI, I posted the same link before getting to your post.

[NNN0LHI]

48. Ain't no thing. I do it all the time my self. Take care n/t

[BiggJawn]

42. I'm the Dauphin!

Got no proof, but what the hell, if Chimp can claim to be things he can't prove...

[SOS]

43. Reuters is now using "Democrat"

Seems the right has even succeeded in undermining our name.
After reading the headline, the question arose...which Democrat attacked?

[tlcandie]

47. Interesting that he threw this tidbit in twice!!!! Really makes you

step back and go hmmmmm :think:

From the original linked article

<snip>
and he declared on NBC's "Meet the Press" program, "I'm not going to lose" the November election.
<snip>

[TacticalPeek]

50. An interesting bit Snazzy posted about the guy aWol campaigned for in AL:

This is the guy * "worked" for--senate campaign, '72. Air Force link and wired into Nixon, Bush, Johnson. Probably pulled the strings to prevent active service.

Note Gulf War I payback, sounds like Halliburton test run:

http://www.au.af.mil/au/goe/eaglebios/01bios/blount01.htm

Pilot, CEO, public servant, Winton M. "Red" Blount ...

The 1980s saw Blount International flourish with the completion of the world?s largest fixed-price contract, $2 billion, for the King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Following Operation DESERT STORM, Blount International "turned the lights back on" in Kuwait by rebuilding its infrastructure. Blount served in prominent political posts including President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for President Johnson and Postmaster General under President Nixon.

....

Link

[TacticalPeek]

53. kickum