I guess AWOL isn't dead after all

[CatWoman]

I thought it was.

But I keep hearing more references to it -- mainly from the right who are trying to protect *, and are still trying to convince us that * really did show up in Alabama.

I hope this issue haunts him to his grave.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

1. Then we must keep on telling the truth, that is that Bushler....

LIES!!!!!!!!!!

[nostamj]

2. how could he "show up" in Alabama

if he was working at PULL in Houston?

find out why the spoiled POS was doing 'community service' for the first and only time in his life.

alabama service records are another distraction, imho

on edit: further discussion of PULL service here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=1147901&mesg_id=1147901

[Bonhomme Richard]

3. The people that were in the military know the real deal.

Now it's just a matter of their conscience.

[Stephanie]

4. Great piece in the NY Times today compares Bush to Quayle

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/23/opinion/23TRIL.html

<snip>

Mr. Quayle denied receiving preferential treatment, but he didn't quibble about what making it into the guard meant at that time. "Obviously, if you join the National Guard, you have less of a chance of going to Vietnam," he said on "Meet the Press" some time later. "I mean, it goes without saying." That's presumably what Colin Powell had in mind in "My American Journey" when he wrote, "I am angry that so many of the sons of the powerful and well placed . . . managed to wrangle spots in Reserve and National Guard units."

But in the current furor about George W. Bush's military record it seems to be taken for granted that Mr. Bush got into the so-called Champagne unit of the Texas Air National Guard through influence. The stories begin by saying he was jumped over a 500-man waiting list. Then they quickly go on to investigate the details of his sojourn in Alabama. Using influence to get into the guard and therefore out of Vietnam is no longer disqualifying for "sons of the powerful"; it's assumed. Or could it be that Dan Quayle is judged by stricter standards than other politicians?

That possibility makes it worth taking another look at his academic record. When Mr. Quayle finally authorized the indirect release of his marks, for a long Washington Post profile by Bob Woodward and David Broder — a profile, I should mention, that was much more favorable than people had expected — it turned out that he'd had a C+ average. George W. Bush had a straight C. Dick Cheney flunked out of Yale twice. Nobody accuses them of not being able to spell potato. I bring up these matters not to embarrass the president and the vice president. They have enough embarrassments as it is. But fair's fair.

Calvin Trillin is the author, most recently, of "Feeding a Yen: Savoring Local Specialties, From Kansas City to Cuzco."

[DinahMoeHum]

5. Did Dan Quayle put in his time? Any AWOL issues with him?

or any other preferential treatment in his unit?


:kick:

[Stephanie]

16. No AWOL issues that I recall

I think the issue was that he'd evaded Vietnam by enrolling in the Guard. It was an issue of privilege.

[9215]

26. Quayle's parents got him into the reserves

according to this:

http://www.thenewrepublic.com/122401/notebook122401.html

[zbdent]

6. Seems like there's more to the AWOL story than to the Kerry Intern

story.

(please don't bash me for a Kerry reference).

Even Rush, a few weeks ago, inadvertently made a reference which showed how the RW smear machine works.

Said something to the effect of: "Well, the media will pick up on the intern business, but they're waiting to be second because they feel that they must have 'corroborating' evidence." Essentially, he said that there had to be a confirmation - more than just one guy claiming "Hey, Kerry slept with an intern!" to be "good journalism".

AWOL has legs, just if the "liberal media" actually would make it run the distance. The more W tries to "expose" his duty, the deeper the foot goes into his mouth. Like the "witness to Bush showing up" - this guy recounts that Bush showed up several months before Bush admits showing up. And more times than the Bush-released records show (and Bush claims that all the records have been released!).

[central scrutinizer]

7. read today's Doonesbury

more people read the comics than the news:
<>

then go here for details:

http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/bush_guard.html

[mouse7]

23. AWOL is all over late night comedy, too

Stewart, Letterman, Leno, O'Brien. They're all an it.

[CatWoman]

8. One of *'s hootchies from the past has stepped forward

“I dated George Bush, Jr., all summer long,” she wrote to a friend in the spring of 1974, after Bush had gone up North to attend Harvard Business School. “He swears he will never again take an active part in politics—Ho Ho—Tell me if you believe that please?”

Reached by phone last week at her law office, in Birmingham, Bear groaned at the memory, then good-naturedly tried to fill in the picture of Bush’s life during and after that controversial year. The two met while working together, in the summer and fall of 1972, on Winton (Red) Blount’s losing campaign for an Alabama Senate seat. A friend of the Bush family had got young George a role in the Blount campaign, and the Texas Air National Guard had granted him permission to continue his service in Alabama. “I know he served” in the Guard there, Bear said, but “I didn’t see him in uniform.” She does claim to remember “plenty of times” when he had to reschedule meetings because, he said, he had Guard duties to perform. Later, when they were both in Houston and had started dating—and when no one disputes that he was serving—she frequently saw him in uniform. “I think he was mostly just flying in circles over Houston,” she said.

As for Bush’s vow never to participate in politics again, she said, “You have to understand, we had just lost like dogs. Also, his dad had just been defeated”—in his 1970 bid for a Texas Senate seat. “It was a hard time. We all felt the antiwar culture. We all felt, let us get out of Vietnam! Everyone was so burned up about it. Everyone had lost friends and family. It was an awful thing.” She believes that Bush shared her anguish over the war, “but he never would have spoken up about it publicly, because of his father.” She went on, “He was so aware of his family name. Everywhere he went, he encountered a lot of animosity from people who didn’t even know him, because of his father. I remember taking him with me to a lovely party, and a drunken person came up to him and said, ‘You’re a piece of shit, just like your father.’ And these were nice people! My friends! People were just awful to him.”


http://www.newyorker.com/talk/content/?040301ta_talk_mayer

[central scrutinizer]

9. well, that clears that up

I am sure * wasn't lying to her about where he was when he couldn't make their dates. Of course, he was doing his Guard Duty, even if nobody remembers seeing him. Bwah hah hah! How gullible. You don't think there was a teensy chance that the "cuntsman" was fooling around?

[opihimoimoi]

10. That jus goes to show you people even back then knew he was

"A piece of shit". The Bushies have a bad name for obvious reasons going back 50 years plus.

And if we read Bears account of her fling with First Ding; What is she saying about him in uniform:: "Later, when they were in Houston and had started dating- she frequently saw him in uniform-"

Excuse me, is it me or is the time thing fucked up. I thought once he left Bama he never flew again due to a missing flight clearance by a doctor. This Bimbo has some holes in the story. Gatta be a friend of Linda Trippy.

[CatWoman]

12. LOL

Go get 'em, Opi

:hi:

Did you see today's Donnesbury? :D

[qanda]

14. “I think he was mostly just flying in circles over Houston,” she said.

One small correction, Bush* wasn't flying then because he had lost his ability to fly.

These so-called witnesses seem to make things worse instead of better for Bush*. Maybe they should stop while they're ahead.

[LiberalFighter]

25. I wouldn't call that a small correction

I wonder what he was flying if he was grounded from flying the F-102's?

They must had gone back in time before April 1972 so that they could see him flying unless they meant they saw him in his flight jacket... just like he showed off by wearing a flight suit on the USS Lincoln.

[Rebellious Republican]

24. Shrub was must have been a very busy boy......

Ya know doing all that campaign work and Community Service and still he was able to get in his Guard duty weekends. Well maybe he had to skip those Gaurd weekends in order to volunteer his time to help the needy.
She does claim to remember “plenty of times” when he had to reschedule meetings because, he said, he had Guard duties to perform.

[samsingh]

11. AWOL will always be another name for Shrub

err *, idiot-in-chief, pResident, etc.

[Bandit]

13. "Dick Cheney flunked out of Yale twice."

I didn't know this. And he is supposed to be one of those "Smart People" that Bush* surrounded himself with. I guess the "Proof is in the Puddin". We are seeing it all play out now and there isn't much smarts applied from what I can tell. So two lackards have taken over the reins of power and between them they have five DWIs also. What a pair to draw to.

[Stephanie]

22. I know - I wish more people knew this. Rove too.

College dropout.

These guys like to nurture the illusion that they are great geniuses, when in fact they are quite ordinary.

[grasswire]

15. see my...

...thread on Marc Racicot's own CHICKENHAWK scandal.

Hammer these guys. Don't let them get an inch.

[Beetwasher]

17. AWOL is Now Conventional Wisdom

It's always gonna be there now...

[9215]

18. What's so cool about it

is all the other stuff that spins off of this AWOL story: Bush's coke use, his association with Bath>Bin Laden's etc. :bounce:

[Ksec]

19. credibility killer for sure. nt

[opihimoimoi]

20. I happen to think its beyond coke, more like ICE

Ice will fuck with your brain, produces holes in it.

Cognitive abilities is sporadic at best. Short term memory problemas, etc. and Attention Deficeit Disorder to boot.

The Shrub shows most of these tell tale signs. Coke don't put holes in your brain, ICE DOES. Listen to the Shrub when he talks. Tell me if his friggen brain ain't fulla holes.

Come, we go fish for tuna. Yellow Fin are running. 180 lbs and more.

[Stephanie]

21. what is ICE?

And thanks, I'd love to go fishing.

[Beetwasher]

27. Haha!

The Chimp is an Ice addict, that's funny!

One of these days I'm gonna get my ass to Hawaii and take you up on that fishing!

[calimary]

28. Bill Maher was on about it, last night with Tweety.

He talked about the lying and misrepresentations and then stated: "that's why people don't like the guy." I stood up and cheered!

Yeah, it's here to stay, ESPECIALLY if the late night comics are all over it. If even LENO's on it, it's definitely here to stay. THAT is telling.

And remember this: MANY more multiples of people watch the regular networks, including Dave, Leno, Conan, and the rest of 'em, than watch Pox News or CNN or MSNBC. The lowest-rated shows on the conventional networks FAR outdistance the highest-rated stuff on cable.