McGovern calls Bush a deserter on CNBC

[msanger]

Just before 11 I was switching channels, and heard Senator McGovern call Bush a deserter.

He said something close to "there may be a kinder word to use, but if you don't show up for duty, you're a deserter."

[frank frankly]

1. thank god

he went AWOL!

they should all be saying it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[PaDUer]

6. They all should be

doing something about this instead of allowing this charade to continue! And, the rest of the mob!

[dflprincess]

2. God bless George McGovern

He'll always be one of my heroes.

[tabasco]

23. Me too. McGovern is a true patriot.

This country would be so much better off if he had been elected instead of the insipid Reagan.

[cherylmarie]

30. My first post!

I supported McGovern as a high school student, one of only a handful in my school to do so. Guess I'm showing my age, but I'm sure he was defeated not by Reagan, but by Tricky Dick himself in 1972. Two years later, Nixon resigned but I had graduated & couldn't gloat to those who so richly deserved it! Way to go George, I'm still impressed!

[Bozita]

3. a REAL American war hero speaks the truth

[SOS]

26. Exactly

McGovern piloted 35 combat missions over the Pacific in WW 2 .
Bush checked "do not volunteer" in regard to service in Vietnam.

[Manix]

4. ..watch the freepers flip over this!!! LOL

nt

[morningglory]

5. John Siegenthaler (sp?) asked "Did Clark make a mistake failing"

to distance himself from the remark that Bush was a deserter?" Without a beat McGovern asked right back "Well, what would you call him? He avoided the draft by getting into the National Guard then failed to show up?" All paraphrased. Holy hell! I love McGovern.

[aquart]

7. Well, I don't love him. Perhaps now I'll forgive him.

[bobbyboucher]

15. Forgive him for what?

Being way ahead of his time? Just curious.

[pacifictiger]

11. Yesss!!

The retired politicians with nothing to lose careerwise, especially those with distinguished military backgrounds, have the ability to go where younger men fear to tread. Are there any more out there like him?

[indepat]

20. Dirty tricks helped do in McGovern: will the truth do in someone else?

[madrchsod]

8. Clark and others hinted

then said alittle more,then almost called him the d word-then backed off. now others can take up the cause. brilliant strategy. hit and run,never give them a target to hit...who said Clark didn`t know politics??

[TacticalPeek]

9. The verb ate em.

"Maybe there's a kinder word than deserter, but in my book, that's not too far from the truth. And I think General Clark is a man who never backed away from battle, who volunteered to be a part of the armed forces of this country, as I did. People like that are not going to defend George W. Bush on his military record."

George McGovern on CNBC

[msanger]

10. thanks for the precision n/t

[Lefty48197]

12. Hooray for McGovern!

Why do these media clones keep asking Democrats to disavow the rumors of Shrub's awol-ness? Don't they realize that the purpose of a media is to report on the actual facts of these things? Am I missing something?

[TomNickell]

13. Bringing it up is no favor to *!

<<Why do these media clones keep asking Democrats to disavow the rumors of Shrub's awol-ness? >>

They're doing Bush no favor here. He loses, no matter what the outcome of the debate.

Interesting.

[baby_bear]

16. I think they assume an opposite reaction.

I have wondered about this in the past few days, especially when everytime I turn on CNN, Wolf Blitzer is asking whomever is within earshot why Clark didn't defy Michael Moore's statement that Bush is a deserter.

I think the Bushites think that people will be appalled by any such criticism, that it's actually unpatriotic to "criticize the president in time of war." How many times have we heard THAT since 9/11?

That's the only thing I can think of, because I am very sure Wolf is not trying to drum up criticism, however valid (and it is!!!) of Bush.

Bush criticism= unpatriotism. That's the Republican cry for 2004.

What the hell else have they got?

s_m

[davsand]

18. Shrub has to deny it now.

Kinda reminds me of that old LBJ story about accusing his opponent of sex with a small farm animal. LBJ said he wanted to put it out there so they could watch the guy deny it...

It isn't gonna help shrub one bit to have to stand up and publicly answer questions about his National Guard service.

Laura

[RapidCreek]

14. No they realize the purpose of the media is to bury shit that is

embarrasing to those who might give them permission to monopolize the market and failing that to make any mention of their sponsors hypocrasy, lies etc. etc. seem off color and unpatriotic.

RC

[TacticalPeek]

17. Kick to daylight.

:kick:

[Paranoid_Portlander]

24. Repeat kick.

Not enough daylight yet.

[GinaMaria]

19. guess he won't be asked back

any time soon. How did someone left of * get on CNBC anyway? Glad he said it and took the small opportunity of TV exposure to make this statement.

[SmokeyBlues]

21. Maybe Michael Moore was right

Why do these media clones keep asking Democrats to disavow the rumors of Shrub's awol-ness?

Maybe Michael Moore was right when he said that the reason why the media whores become upset whenever someone has the 'courage' to mention *hole and desertion in the same breath, is because they had their chance (obligation, really) in 2000 to expose *hole for the military fraud and world-class hypocrite that he is, but the majority consciously passed on the opportunity. Even today, you hear some of them saying that *hole's missing TANG days have been widely reported, explained sufficiently, and bringing it up is old news.

Guilt can manifest itself in a variety of ways, and I would imagine that resentment is one.

[progressiverealist]

22. just the same as calling a turd a piece of $%*t.

A deserter is what George W. Bush is and was.

Hammer him with it!

[KansDem]

25. I'm not a big fan of Barbara Streisand...

...but she garnered my respect when she outed the hypocrisy of Newt Gingrich and the neo-Con GOP fascists. When Gingrich was using the term "McGovernik" to taint the patriotism and "family values" of so-called "liberals" to the enjoyment of the neo-Con fascists, Streisand called him on it: She reminded America that George McGovern was a WWII vet, having flown over 30 missions over Germany while Newt got a deferment to stay out of Vietnam, and Sen. McGovern has been married to the same woman for over 50 years while Newt was ending his second marriage over an affair.

The term "McGovernik" fell into disuse shortly thereafter...

[BigBigBear]

27. She actually pulled that

from a stunning newspaper editorial written by....I want to say Jack Germond, but it wasn't him. It may have been Mike Royko.

The term, if I recall, was "McGovernite", and I have long regeretted having lost that column. It was from the mid-90's.

Not a Streisand fan myself, and I wouldn't swear that she stole it, but I do remember the column, and it was devastating.

[Mike Niendorff]

28. From Dave Neiwert's blog :

Here's the full exchange, as reported in Orcinus :

----

From yesterday's coverage of the New Hampshire primary on CNBC, with John Siegenthaler interviewing George McGovern, himself a decorated veteran:

Siegenthaler: I just want to talk about Wesley Clark for a second . . . because he had a tough time in some cases in New Hampshire. Some people said his endorsement from Michael Moore where he called President Bush a deserter --- and then Wesley Clark refused to distance himself from Michael Moore was really a difficult time for him. And that he stumbled a couple of times up there in New Hampshire. How do you react to that?

McGovern: Well look, I know he was severely criticized for not rebuking the contention that George W. Bush was a deserter.

But what would you call him?

He avoided the war in Viet Nam by signing up for the Texas National Guard -- and then didn't show up.

He missed half of his time by not showing up for the National Guard training.

Maybe there's some kinder word than deserter. But in my book that's not too far from the truth.

And I think General Clark is a man who never backed away from battle -- who volunteered to be a part of the armed forces of this country -- as I did.

People like that are not going to defend George W. Bush on his military record.

Siegenthaler: (Stunned) Issues of war and peace continue to be a controversy -- and a part of this campaign as we head through 2004.

-----


MDN

[bushisanidiot]

29. Damned Good! Keep The Deserter Story In The News!

I hope this subject is brought up every friggin' day and that it reminds president shitferbrains of the men and women who are dying in iraq who are braver than he was in '72.

hypocritical lyin chimp!

[Moderator]

31. Please,

When someone says something exciting on TV, it is usually not considered breaking news.