Josh Marshall on AWOL...something else is going to happen.

[RedEarth]

Why wouldn't Bush show up for that physical? An Air Force pilot's physical is a bigger deal than the one civilians get on a routine basis. But still, it's not that big a deal. Even if he didn't think it was necessary, why disobey a direct order to get around it?

And on this point let me make a more general suggestion. The White House's story has changed many, many times on the Guard matter. And they've been careful -- and wisely so -- to avoid make definitive statements that would limit their room for maneuver after future revelations.

There are now two news organizations actively at work (and at least one of them is pretty far along) on a story about just why Bush was having those problems in the Guard in 1973. With that in mind, now my might be a good time to press a few more specific questions

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2004_09_05.php#003455

[sniffa]

1. drug test

[JCMach1]

2. Drugs== at the time... some of this showed up in the Hatfield

biography...

[HootieMcBoob]

7. of course it's about the drug test

it's not a coincidence that he disobeyed a direct order to take his physical at the very time that the military began including mandatory drug tests/piss tests as part of the whole deal. He was coked up the whole time and everybody knows it.

[blm]

9. And the charge that caused the publisher to BURN the entire Fortunate Son

publishing run based on Bush's denial. And contributed to the downward spiral of the "suicided" author, James Hatfield.

[aquart]

3. Community service?

Is this the long-rumored cocaine bust?

[Proud2BAmurkin]

4. Why did Josh publish that stupid letter? ("Wah, stop talking about AWOL")

It's on his blog now

[Clinton Crusader]

5. Cocaine-->

http://www.hermes-press.com/dishonorable.htm

Bush’s involvement at Project P.U.L.L. in 1972 as a condition of having his cocaine possession charge purged
:kick:

[HootieMcBoob]

10. gotta get the Project P.U.L.L. community service in the news

that needs to be the next thing. There has to be somebody down there who's willing to talk about that.

[gardenista]

18. OH! I just got it! P. U. L. L. is the opposite of P. U. S. H. ?

Remember Jesse Jackson't project P.U.S.H.? Was PULL one of those "faith-based" similarly named groups?

I remember Bush bragging about his PULL "service" during the 2000 election. I'd like to know a lot more about this!

[Squeech]

6. Steve Gilliard is on the story too

It seems he thinks that there was medical evidence that Smirky had homosexual sex, which would of course really freak out his theocrat base.

[judge_smales]

11. This sounds funny to me.

Medical evidince of gay sex? What whould such evidence be?

If there *were* some proof of this, however, he would be toast.

[Squeech]

19. Prolapsed rectum

Or (I think this was Gilliard's idea) anal gonorrhea.

[ClintonTyree]

13. No, no.....................

he found Jubus and all of his sins have been forgiven. These were all youthful indiscretions.

[IdaBriggs]

8. Go Read Punpirate's Input to This Thread

There is another theory -- a bad thing in April 1972 instead of drugs?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=774305#774730

[mctrotter5]

12. Thanks, just read, Josh Marshall makes some great points

on the whole issue and gives some thoughts that could help as
many of us consider writing letters to the editor of our local papers to drive this Bush credibility issue home.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

14. Why aren't they doing an FOIA request for records of James Bath?

Wasn't James Bath one of Bush's close friends in the Guard? Didn't he also get suspended from flying at the same time as George Bush, for the very same failure to accomplish his annual medical examination? Chances are that if Bush's records were sanitized, perhaps Bath's records weren't. Chances are, whatever type of monkey business involved Bush and his AWOL status also involved James Bath as well. I think someone needs to try to get these records.

[seemslikeadream]

15. Blue Flake

[imax2268]

16. I work around pilots

all day...and I know that when it comes up to physical time...they do not...DO NOT...miss it...if they do they will be grounded until they do...that is one of the most important things that pilots stick to...they don't want to lost their flying status...

BushCO did drugs...that's why he didn't want to take the physical...he was snorting coke with pickles...

[Beausoleil]

17. "he was snorting coke with pickles"

Should be a capital "P" maybe? Otherwise he probably used a straw.

[LuminousX]

21. The Joy of Flying

Everyone I know who has gotten his (sorry I don't know any women pilots) pilots license have a deep rooted love of flying. Two have been in scary plane crashes, one broke his back doing so, but both took to flying again as soon as they could.

Just walking away from the opportunity to fly jets when you have been trained to do so seems really odd. I don't care if they were going to be obsolete or not. It seems peculiar to me that he wouldn't be chomping at the bit for the opportunity to fly.

Of course my sample size is really small and my evidence is purely anectdotal and based on my gut, so I could just be whistling in the wind.

[bigtree]

20. .