Patriot Games: Is Kerry Style of Handling AWOL Mind-Bending or Not?

[WiseMen]

I think that Kerry’s manner of handling the AWOL issue is mind-bending. He raises questions without raises questions.

Suggests that facts on AWOL issue still need to come out before he decides to address the issue, but comments as an aside regarding actions in the Vietnam era:

“People made their choices:
. . . .
Some went to Canada
Some went to Jail
Some went to the National Guard

People had various reasons for what they did. Not for me to judge.”

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Interesting article on RNC plan on Vietnam issue:



Patriot Games
Bush strategists may feel tempted to attack John Kerry’s opposition to Vietnam. Why it’s a battle they can’t win


. . . . . .

In fairness, Bush has been candid about why he enlisted in the Air National Guard. Like many young men of his generation, he wanted to avoid Vietnam. He told one reporter, "I was not prepared to shoot my eardrum out with a shotgun in order to get a deferment. Nor was I willing to go to Canada. So I chose to better myself by learning how to fly airplanes."


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4114162/

[KittyWampus]

1. Your Man Kerry Just Disrespected National Guardsmen

lumping them in with people who dodged the Draft.

Another stupid move by Kerry that goes unnoticed by the Press....

And he looked like a Chickensh*t on Crossfire when he said that calling Bush a Deserter was "over the top".

What a compromised, ineffectual candidate Kerry is. How nice the Media is helping him along. It's the only way he could win th Primary.

It won't help him in the General Election IF he gets the nomination.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

2. To people who don't hate Kerry.

What he said sounds a lot different from the way you described it.

[KittyWampus]

5. "Describe" It?

Kerry lumped National Guardsmen in with Draft Dodgers and people who went to Canada.

HE is the one who made a stupid comment.

Why not just admit it?

And Kerry is the one who sat in between Begala and Novac and said Deserter was "Over the Top".

But then, since he compromised his own integrity by voting for Bush's agenda, he NEEDS to try the AWOL card. He can't tout his own Leadership or Accountability because he has none left.

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

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

[Bombtrack]

3. Sorry, I'm against a Kerry nomination but that's a bogus charge

that's almost verbatum what Bush said this morning.

The guard then is not the guard now. Especially the champagne division which Bush joined. It was a draft dodge. And he dodged most of his draft dodge. That's the best way to put it.

That's why Bush got his dad to get him their. He went in and flew obsolete planes

[KittyWampus]

10. The National Guard Is The National Guard. Kerry Used The Term

Kerry lumped them in with those who went to Canada.

Kerry should be held accountable for the stupid words coming out of his mouth.

[Bombtrack]

14. wrong

Bush was never in any danger of the fighting the Vietcong or any other communist forces from learning to fly obsolete plains in the south living with other kids of rich parents who supported sending kids without those connections in to die

Bush risked about as much by getting into the TANG as someone who went to Canada

[bigtree]

21. Bush had a minimal risk of going to Vietnam

In the Vietnam War:

9.087.000 military personnel served on active duty during the Vietnam era (Aug. 5, 1964-May 7, 1975).

8.744.000 Gls were on active duty during the war (Aug. 5, 1964-March 28, 1973).

National Guard: 6,140 served; 101 died
Reservists killed: 5,977.

In the present conflict

More than 174,000 reservists and National Guardsman are currently on active duty and 34 of them have been killed.


Figures are from the American Legion

[bigtree]

23. Everyone knew that the Coast Guard had little chance of being deployed

I won't speculate why. But I'll bet that Bush knew well what the deal was. Kerry got it right.

Canada

Jail

National Guard

Listen and Learn Sumptin'

[seaglass]

4. He absolutely did not. You weren't listening or only heard

what you wanted to hear.

[KittyWampus]

8. No, Kerry Said National Guard Along With People Who Went To Canada

but how nice the Media and his supporters give Kerry a pass.

[The Magistrate]

17. The Problem, Ma'am, Is This

People who joined the National Guard in those days did so to avoid the draft. That is a fact; anyone alive at the time knows it. Anyone offended by that basic statement of truth is already voting for the other side.

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[NewYorkerfromMass]

12. NG was just ONE option available at the time

and the fact is it was starkly different from actually going to Vietnam. Ask Dan Quayle.
Kerry simply listed a factual laundry list of options. No editorializing needed.

[flpoljunkie]

25. You are flat wrong. Bush is the one who is disrespecting National Guard

by treating them like enlisted men and women and extending their duty in Iraq. This is a disgrace. Try directing your anger where it rightfully belongs.

Making "over the top" statements like calling Dubya a "deserter" is politically dumb, as charges of "desertion" can only be brought up against those on active duty.

Let us see if Dubya will release his pay and other records not previously released; I wager he will not.

Edited to add this from today's Los Angeles Times:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/whitehouse/la-na-guard9feb09,1,1331740.story

But Bush, speaking in an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, said that if records exist that will put to rest any doubts about his service, he is "absolutely" willing to authorize the release of those documents covering his service in the Texas and Alabama National Guard units.

He was referring to the Defense Finance and Accounting Service in Colorado, which maintains pay records of service members and presumably would have documentation on whether Bush had showed up for all of his military duty.

But officials at the agency, in Denver and at the headquarters in Washington, told The Times last week that before any records could be released, a Freedom of Information Act request must be filed and that the agency would then show the records to the White House communications office before proceeding.

Bryan Hubbard and Roger Still, spokesmen for the agency, said the processing could take months.They suggested that the White House might turn down the request.

___________________

Need I say more?

[DebJ]

6. This issue won't affect voting and will turn off possible Repub voters

I wish everyone would just drop it.

I have no doubt that * could have disappeared for months on end and still received an 'honorable' discharge, and likely got his paycheck, too.

This won't make or break an election, nor tip it significantly.

Lets talk REAL issues

[DrFunkenstein]

7. There Is No Need For Kerry To Rush This Issue

It isn't going anywhere. In fact, the longer it is drawn out towards the election the better.

[Raya]

20. You got it brother!

[oasis]

9. Our service men and women are having their time being stretched out

to fight a war of choice for a guy who ducked his responsibility. This aint going away.

[KittyWampus]

11. How Nice Kerry Voted To Give Bush A Blank Check To Go Then

THAT is the current issue.

Not AWOL from 30 years ago.

[DjTj]

16. How we're going to get out of Iraq.

THAT is the current issue.

Not the IWR vote 2 years ago.

[Bombtrack]

18. How nice it is that you by into the "blank check" propaganda

Kerry supported removing Saddam threw the UN and NATO when sufficient hard evidence presented itself just like every candidate other than Sharpton and Kucinich.

Bush didn't need the congressional resolution to invade, but he did need it to get the possibility of the rest UN cooperating with Britain and the US to get a second resolution.

[NNN0LHI]

19. Did you forget who gave the order to invade Iraq or something?

Hint: It wasn't Kerry. And if he would have voted against it he would be in the same position as other anti-war candidates. Dead in the water. I think he made the right decision. Now if his vote could have prevented the invasion I might feel different. But you know as well as I do that is not the case here.

Don

[genius]

15. Kerry doing the right things to beat Bush.

More power to him.

[AnnitaR]

22. You wanna know what amazes me most?

The media whores tried to crucify Clark over Michael Moore's statement! He got drilled on this issue for a long time! They wanted his blood for not saying Moore was wrong. Tom Brokaw made a huge deal about his disgust about the whole idea of Bush be a Deserter.

Kerry goes on Fox and says it was "over the top"!

Week or so later Kerry's folks figure out they can use this to their advantage... Cleland jumps on the issue... Kerry plays up his service.... and now it's Kerry's issue! He's getting nothing but good press about this. Hell NBC nightly news does a whole piece on the issue last week. Any mention of Clark? Moore? Nope!

It's okay now that they've figured out how to use this to Kerry's advantage, but never forget how they tried to ruin Clark with this same issue.

Once again Sen. Kerry sways with the wind. First it was "over the top" now it's a credible issue that must be discussed.

[Raya]

24. Well, look at the difference in how they handled it. Kerry's a Jedi Master

The says a lot, by NOT saying a lot.