Powell Criticizes Vietnam Draft Policies

[cal04]

Secretary of State Colin Powell, once the nation's highest-ranking soldier, reaffirmed his distaste Sunday for Vietnam War draft policies that allowed sons of the powerful to avoid combat.

He avoided a question about whether George W. Bush was exercising that privilege when the future president joined the Texas Air National Guard in 1968, the height of U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia.
Powell, an Army general and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, also said he does not expect the military draft to be reactivated ``under any set of circumstances that I can see.''

The year that Bush joined the National Guard, both Powell and John Kerry, now Bush's Democratic rival for the presidency, were young officers among hundreds of thousands of American troops in Vietnam.
In his 1995 autobiography, ``My American Journey,'' Powell characterized draft policies during most of the Vietnam era as ``an antidemocratic disgrace.''``I am angry that so many sons of the powerful and well-placed managed to wangle slots in Reserve and National Guard units,'' he wrote.

Asked about that and Bush's military career on ``Fox News Sunday,'' Powell said: ``I disagree with the policies that were in place at that time. I didn't think it was the right set of policies for the challenge the nation was facing.``But those were the policies that were in place at that time. President Bush and Senator Kerry volunteered to serve their nations under the policies that were in place. They both served honorably, and they both were discharged honorably.''On ABC's ``This Week,'' Powell added: ``Yes, that system was disturbing to me. That's why I was such a supporter of the voluntary army when it came. I was also a supporter of cleaning up the draft system, so that you couldn't duck the draft.''


http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Powell-Draft.html

Powell Says War Service Should Pertain to Everyone
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/politics/politics-campaign-powell.html

[saigon68]

1. COLON BOWEL = lapdog of the AWOL CHIMPANZEE

The chimp extends hand------ Colon licks the back of it.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. My god they are on the defensive

by the way woudl Powell agree that Bush shoudd serve the rest of his
term in the sandbox with his TANG unit? They were federalized and deployed, irnoic huh?

[Zorra]

3. Uncle Powell: A lying neocon. AWOL Bu$h did not serve honorably.

Bu$h avoided Vietnam because he was a wealthy privileged preppie frat boy whose family had connections:

"It's been a long time ago, but he said basically would I help young George Bush get in the Air National Guard," says Barnes, who then contacted his longtime friend Gen. James Rose, the head of Texas' Air National Guard.

"I was a young, ambitious politician doing what I thought was acceptable," says Barnes. "It was important to make friends. And I recommended a lot of people for the National Guard during the Vietnam era - as speaker of the house and as lt. governor."

George W. Bush was among those he recommended for the National Guard. Was this a case of preferential treatment?

"I would describe it as preferential treatment. There were hundreds of names on the list of people wanting to get into the Air National Guard or the Army National Guard," says Barnes. "I think that would have been a preference to anybody that didn't want to go to Vietnam or didn’t want to leave. We had a lot of young men that left and went to Canada in the '60s and fled this country. But those that could get in the Reserves, or those that could get in the National Guard - chances are they would not have to go to Vietnam."

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/09/08/60II/main641984.shtml

It is true that Bu$h was "technically" given an honorable discharge from the National Guard, but if he was not a wealthy privileged spoiled little preppie brat he would not have been given an honorable discharge. He would have been shipped off to combat duty in Vietnam if he wasn't, because of his failure to fulfill his domestic obligations to the National Guard. If he were treated as an equal to you or I, "like the rest of us regular Americans" Bu$h would have been laying in mud burning leeches off his skin with a joint in a steaming Southeast Asian jungle:

A review of the regulations governing Bush's Guard service during the Vietnam War shows that the White House used an inappropriate--and less stringent--Air Force standard in determining that he had fulfilled his duty. Because Bush signed a six-year "military service obligation," he was required to attend at least 44 inactive-duty training drills each fiscal year beginning July 1. But Bush's own records show that he fell short of that requirement, attending only 36 drills in the 1972-73 period, and only 12 in the 1973-74 period. The White House has said that Bush's service should be calculated using 12-month periods beginning on his induction date in May 1968. Using this time frame, however, Bush still fails the Air Force obligation standard.

Moreover, White House officials say, Bush should be judged on whether he attended enough drills to count toward retirement. They say he accumulated sufficient points under this grading system. Yet, even using their method, which some military experts say is incorrect, U.S. News 's analysis shows that Bush once again fell short. His military records reveal that he failed to attend enough active-duty training and weekend drills to gain the 50 points necessary to count his final year toward retirement.

The U.S. News analysis also showed that during the final two years of his obligation, Bush did not comply with Air Force regulations that impose a time limit on making up missed drills. What's more, he apparently never made up five months of drills he missed in 1972, contrary to assertions by the administration. White House officials did not respond to the analysis last week but emphasized that Bush had "served honorably."

Some experts say they remain mystified as to how Bush obtained an honorable discharge. Lawrence Korb, a former top Defense Department official in the Reagan administration, says the military records clearly show that Bush "had not fulfilled his obligation" and "should have been called to active duty."

http://americablog.blogspot.com/archives/2004_09_05_americablog_archive.html#109495807503581705

Uncle Powell, like Bu$h, is another fork-tongued republican neocon liar.

[shrub chipper]

4. I actually think that Powell and McVain are the worst of the lot

because they assume the mantle of being 'honest' and principled, but , when push comes to shove, they tow the party line like the lowest of the repukes.

[saigon68]

5. THEY ARE LAPDOGS--- see # 1 above

Scum of the earth

[Demeter]

8. Sorry to Intrude, But It's TOE the Line

The school marm within just couldn't restrain herself.

[blue agave]

6. Powell lies again !

"They both served honorably, and they both were discharged honorably."

I have to put up with this kind of crap at work.

"They both lied about their service, so it doesn't matter"
Freepers are willing to admit that W lied if you will conceed that JK lied also. They hope to settle for a wash.

Wrong ! I never accept this argument.

So, then they change the subject.

[Deja Q]

7. Mere words. Let Colon Oreo back up his distaste by personally selecting

those who are to go fight.

Only then will I change my tune.

[Nambe]

9. He should resign before the election if he means it.

Otherwise he remains at zero.

[luaneryder]

10. So if the very worst happens

and * steal the election again and the draft is reinstated Powell can say, "this is not a circumstance that I forssaw."

[VladTheImpaler]

11. I'll bet if the boychik wins, there'll be a draft by Jan 30th!

nt

[thomas_a]

12. Colin Powell's tongue

Official toilet paper of the Republican party.

[Cha]

13. And that includes bush when he LOSES

AGAIN! bush needs to go finish his guard duty in Iraq!

[Malva Zebrina]

14. way too little too late, colon

Who cares what the draft was in the Vietnam era? What the hell are you bringing that up now for? It is irrelevant. You say that to cover your ass over your quotes re that era I bet.

Right now, you have to admit that those who are dead, come from the poorest and the most disinfranchuised of us all. They come from "we the people" a consituency your big assed liar of a boss has no concern about all, thinking and saying at one point in his undistiguished college career, they are in that position because of some lack of motivation. Like him, right?

And you have to admit, that your boss has killed those he has no human connection with at all, in any sense of the word, was AWOL and a deserter himself, and now dresses up in military costumes he does not deserve to wear in order to promote himself as a "war president"

God how he loves himself!

He has sent these he no doubt considers little igsignificant pawns in his AWOL megalomania to slaughter and kill people at his will,and to die for his misdirected and egomaniacal wars. He gets off on that--get it? He is such a delusional coward that he now claims a god told him to do this.

He could care less about them-Hey he has Kennebunkport and the Walker family name as his credentials, as well as a 1,600 acre so called "ranch" in Crawford, that dry gulch of a town that could not support a herd of pigs if it tried-He has not attended one funeral,in spite of bragging that he and only he, was the one who would have to hug the families, and he has NOT hugged one to this day! He has directed that NO photographs of their flag drapped coffins that arrive in the middle of night in secrecy and in dishonor, be taken, thereby insuring that the American people not be advised of the unconscionable deeds he has perpetrated upon our best and youngest, and how he has caused the deaths and suffering of our young with his "miscalculations"

Go away Colon. You need a colinoscopy to determine just where your deceit lies--and I suspect it is somewhere within the lower bowel--infected and stricken with bacteria.

[mazzarro]

15. Everytime W* and his neocon goons are on the defensive, out

comes "Uncle Bowel" or "Aunt Jemima" Rice to throw some kind of blocking for them. I hate the beggaredly fools that these two have turned out to be.

[NNN0LHI]

16. So Chimpy gamed the system and that is just fine with Powell, eh?

Wonder how the families of GI's who died or were maimed in Vietnam feel about that? Differently perhaps?

Don

[llmart]

17. Powell has no credibility any more....

He lost whatever he had when he did the massuh's billing for him at the UN. He stood up before the entire world and lied to save his ass from being fired. I used to think he was a decent person, but never again. I emailed him and told him so too. I hope he gets flooded with email so that the rest of his life he's haunted by what he's done.

[Stockholm]

18. Hear hear!!

As he stood up in the UN assembly I lost every ounce of respect I had for him.

Being a civil servant does not mean that your first priority is to cling to power.

Powell should have followed the example of Robin Cook and resigned.