Did Bush drop out of the National Guard to avoid drug testing?

[Chicago Democrat]

Did Bush drop out of the National Guard to avoid drug testing?
The young pilot walked away from his commitment in 1972 -- the same year the U.S. military implemented random drug tests.

- - - - - - - - - - - -
By Eric Boehlert



Feb. 6, 2004 | One of the persistent riddles surrounding President Bush's disappearance from the Texas Air National Guard during 1972 and 1973 is the question of why he walked away. Bush was a fully trained pilot who had undergone a rigorous two-year flight training program that cost the Pentagon nearly $1 million. And he has told reporters how important it was to follow in his father's footsteps and to become a fighter pilot. Yet in April 1972, George W. Bush climbed out of a military cockpit for the last time. He still had two more years to serve, but Bush's own discharge papers suggest he may have walked away from the Guard for good.

It is, of course, possible that Bush had simply had enough of the Guard and, with the war in Vietnam beginning to wind down, decided that he would rather do other things. In 1972 he asked to be transferred to an Alabama unit so he could work on a Senate campaign for a friend of his father's. But some skeptics have speculated that Bush might have dropped out to avoid being tested for drugs. Which is where Air Force Regulation 160-23, also known as the Medical Service Drug Abuse Testing Program, comes in. The new drug-testing effort was officially launched by the Air Force on April 21, 1972, following a Jan. 11, 1972, directive issued by the Department of Defense. That initiative, in response to increased drug use among soldiers in Vietnam, instructed the military branches to "establish the requirement for a systematic drug abuse testing program of all military personnel on active duty, effective 1 July 1972."


It's true that in 1972 Bush was not on "active" duty: His Texas Guard unit was never mobilized. But according to Maj. Jeff Washburn, the chief of the National Guard's substance abuse program, a random drug-testing program was born out of that regulation and administered to guardsmen such as Bush. The random tests were unrelated to the scheduled annual physical exams, such as the one that Bush failed to take in 1972, a failure that resulted in his grounding.

The rest is in Salon.com

http://salon.com/news/feature/2004/02/06/drugs/index.html

You have to sit thru a short commercial to access for free.

[Chicago Democrat]

1. This seems plausable to me

A totally idiotic frat boy on coke riding in planes.

[Scairp]

18. Me too

I admit I had never thought of it it before, but it certainly would explain a lot. Wouldn't surprise me a bit either, weaselly, lying hypocrite that the Shrub is.

[dusty64]

19. Me also.

I still can't believe it has taken the media FOUR years to report this story.

[calimary]

47. Welcome to DU, Chicago Dem!

That's a mighty wild picture you paint there. It'd be funny if it weren't true...

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. I do suspect that this was one of the reasons

If he was caught high on drugs his discharge would have been less than honorable... he may have even faced prosecution... well he should have... but that is another story

Now take this and other questions and pose them to anybody you know in the miliary... where drug testing is a matter of every day practice.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

3. Welcome to DU!

YOu need to edit the story down to 4 paragraphs and provide a link to the rest of it :hi:

[Chicago Democrat]

7. It was Salon,com

which costs money or you have to sit thru a comercial. So that's why I put the whole thing there. Plus it doesnt even get to the drug part til the last sentence. I'll do it that way next time tho, OK?

[Shakespeare]

10. No, for copyright reasons you HAVE to edit that down.

DU's owners can face legal action if you don't.

[salin]

11. understand your reasoning

but copyright issues can hit Du.. to comply with fair use rules - only can do an excerpt of an article. One can edit one's own post for up to an hour... just open the post and go to the right hand bottom of the screen and click edit. Make a note at the bottom that unfortunately it is a subscription (pay) only article - but that one can get it through the one-day ad option.

Great article, btw, thanks! :hi:

[Chicago Democrat]

13. Thanks for the help, wow edit function is cool!

I will probably use that alot. Thank you!

I changed the article, I dont want to violate any rules. Thanks for letting me know.

[salin]

16. My pleasure

I used to be able to contribute more cutting news to the LBN items - just don't often have the time anymore... depend on others... so if I can help point ya in that direction... I view it as a potential self benefit (more access through lbn to imp news!) :hi:

[rincons land]

42. what about this article:

Bush Guard Commander Recants AWOL Charge

The ex-military man who first launched charges during the 2000 presidential campaign that President Bush had gone AWOL from the National Guard has recanted his story.

The account from Brig. Gen. William Turnipseed, who told the Boston Globe four years ago that Bush never showed up for Guard drills with his Alabama unit, had become the centerpiece of Democratic attacks on the White House in recent days.

"Had reported in, I would have had some recall, and I do not," Gen. Turnipseed told the Globe in May 2000. "I had been in Texas, done my flight training there. If we had had a first lieutenant from Texas, I would have remembered."

But on Wednesday Gen. Turnipseed reversed course, telling NBC News: "I don't know if showed up, I don't know if he didn't. I don't remember how often I was even at the base."

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/2/6/113036.shtml

[dax]

56. This just goes to show the level of intimidation the BFEE has...

R L- you have to be naive beyond belief-by now if you have been following the "troubles and triumphs" of GWB, surely you recognize when the Krove machine has started to grind its ugly gears-over the last two years how many times have we seen people, from Colin Powell to Kofi Annan back down and or recant as they realize they and their families could be destroyed if they don't go along. It wouldnt surprise me if every last witness to AWOL dies in the next three months-does that mean he might be legit?!

[rincons land]

57. read on..

http://www.phxnews.com/fullstory.php?article=9214

[bvar22]

62. Can you say "Paul Wellstone"?

nuff said.

[Skittles]

80. NEWSMAX IS NOT CONSIDERED A CREDIBLE SOURCE

IT IS REPUBLICAN FISH WRAP.

[DemoTex]

4. Jesus F. Christ! What do you think it was all about, anyway?

Of course it was about drug use and the advent of drug testing! Bu$h and Bath decided to push the envelope and refuse a flight physical. They knew they were "dirty." Way dirty.

[David Zephyr]

69. Bush and Bath, DemoTex.

That's the pair.

[argyl]

5. I've read of this.No links to back it up but I recall Bush used the

feeble excuse that he didn't take the test because his family physician wasn't available.No serviceman uses his own physician,they all use military MD's.
This story might really have legs.

[Chicago Democrat]

8. Here's the Link

http://salon.com/news/feature/2004/02/06/drugs/index.html

Sorry Im new

[salin]

12. No reason to be sorry...

all of us who venture to do the lbn story link thing ... had to cut our teeth and learn the ropes... it takes a little time... _BUT_ it is how we get it down and keep bringing imp items that make the DU Latest Breaking News forum such a great source of news. Thanks - it is a great source becuase of folks like you bringing items to it. Don't worry about the learning curve involved in doing so. We all have had to go through it.

[rincons land]

43. heres another link

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/2/6/113036.shtml

[althecat]

6. Yup... thaaas riight..

[DianeG5385]

9. Duh! This came up in 2000

No one paid attention as they continued their Gore "mischaracterization" and the anointment of Bush (aka Idiotboy). So here we are, the same stuff from four years ago popping up. I am less concerned about his past than I am by how he was given a pass to lead this country!!! We knew even then he would screw it up since that is his history! We knew the truth about the lies, the media feels.....confused.....why should we rely on their lies??? De-Elect this fool!!! We are a laughingstock!!

[NewYorkerfromMass]

14. True. But 2nd time could be the charm. Check this out from Josh Marshall

I've gotten a number of emails over the last few days from Republicans asking, with a genuine disbelief and incomprehension, how it is that the questions about President Bush's military service record are coming up now after they were 'dealt with' in 2000...

But there is something different here. And the difference is that the Democrats have decided to go on the offensive -- and this is a version of preemption that Dems may, and should, warm to. After Clark had some stumbles with the issue, Kerry has been hitting it for a couple weeks. And the recent round of coverage on it would never have emerged had Terry McAullife not forced it into the news cycle over the weekend.

http://www.dailykos.com/

[Chicago Democrat]

29. The story never really was fully exposed.

Until recently and I never heard about the Drug part.

[pacifictiger]

39. the other difference

is that he also chose to take the country to war on shaky evidence. Military record is more relevant at this point in time.

[LiberalFighter]

73. Gee I wonder what they consider "dealt with" to mean?

Did bush* authorize the release of all his military records?
Did bush* produce witnesses that would state he was present for Alabama duty?

[woofless]

15. Nothing random about it.

* missed his annual Flight Physical which automatically grounded him. He had no choice and anyone else would have stood court martial for failure to appear. I was in the A.F. at that time as well and we peed in a cup every six months all through '71 and '72. That was random testing of all enlisted. What they did to non-flight officers I don't know but the damn sure tested us. Thank goodness they didn't know how to test for THC at that time.

[9215]

21. Some real life cases would be great to have on this.

Do we have any cases of pilots facing court martial for failure to take flight physicals? Preferably in the Air Ntl. Guard.

[LiberalFighter]

74. In a discussion about military discharge papers DD-215

It was revealed that he should had received a promotion to Captain by his 5th year in the Air National Guard. Instead, his highest promotion was as 1st Lieutenant.

It would appear that something resulted in a promotion being denied.

[LiberalFighter]

75. How about first hand info about the Air National Guard?

I posted 74 about Air National Guard pilots normally would have received a promotion to Captain by their 5th year. If true...
under what circumstances would an enlisted noncommission officer in bush's shoes not have been promoted?

[truthisfreedom]

17. bush loved drugs and being high more than he loved his country.

[dbt]

20. Glad to see Boehlert on this!

His pieces on Clear Channel for Salon were f-ing brilliant--and now he's decided to take a look at the AWOL Chimp: priceless!

Be afraid, George. Be very afraid.

:bounce:
dbt

[rocktivity]

22. Winner of this months "You call this NEWS?" award

Can't help but laugh, seeing as we've been discussing this for at least two years!


rocknation

[JoFerret]

23. This one has been around for a while

Seems credible to me. Keep the pressure up - bring to a nice slow steam-producing simmer over the next seven months ready for a boil-over in October.

[KansDem]

24. I like this line...

It is, of course, possible that Bush had simply had enough of the Guard...

Oh, yeah? Well, I've had enough of paying my bills. So what happens if I "walk away from them?" I sure as hell don't get a "free pass;" my credit is ruined and no one will ever loan me money again. So what's with Bush? Did his disappearance from TANG result in his not being trusted to make military decisions ever again? Ask 500+ American military families.

Obligations and commitments need to be honored, BushBaby! And a snootful of nosecandy doesn't change that.

[rincons land]

44. how about this line...

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/2/6/113036.shtml

[JoFerret]

25. One million almost. Wasted.

(down the tubes and up the nose)in training.

[Ganja Ninja]

26. A Charge to Keep - My Ass!

“Bush was a fully trained pilot who had undergone a rigorous two-year flight training program that cost the Pentagon nearly $1 million. And he has told reporters how important it was to follow in his father's footsteps and to become a fighter pilot.”

Not to mention a staunch Republican red white and blue super patriot with a “Charge to Keep” that loves America more than life itself or so the story goes…They sure pile it high in Texas.

[mike1963]

27. "They sure pile it high in Texas. " - You mean "pilot high in Texas"

:D

[Jackpine Radical]

32. A Charge to Keep?

More like "(Felony) Charges to Avoid."

[reprobate]

28. A slight correction.

Bush 1 was not a fighter pilot. He flew a TBF (or TBM, same plane, different mfg) which was a level bomber and torpedo bomber with a crew of three. There are members of his flight who witnessed his bail out who said he left the aircraft before his two crewmembers had a chance to escape, so he was the only survivor. Little more was made of this than of the present story.

This gives credit to those who claim that cowardice is genetic.

[Unknown Known]

30. Fortunate Son

[NewYorkerfromMass]

31. WOW. That cartoon is from the Arizona Republic!

It's looking good for us.

[Karenina]

35. He's coming DOWN, folks!

Watch out for flying shit and please keep your seatbelts securely fastened. Next idea, Vets toppling a statue of *dimwit.

[rincons land]

45. read on...

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/2/6/113036.shtml

[tabasco]

66. Damn good cartoon !

Time to expose the cowardly and pathetic republican warmongers.

[Name removed]

33. Deleted message

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

[cheapbeemr]

34. Remember how he said he missed his flight physical

because his 'personal physician' wasn't available? Military doctors are supposed to do that of course, but Bush was probably thinking his personal doctor could've fudged the drug test.......

[callous taoboy]

36. You've got inmates

in Texas scrubbing tiles,
you've probably seen piles.
That shit is wild, CIA child.

[RobinA]

37. I Have a Serious Question

as to whether he was ever "a fully trained pilot." Is there any actual proof of this? I'm betting the dude is about as much of a pilot as I am, and I don't even RIDE in airplanes if I can drive there in less than four days. I say he left because he could. He had better things to do.

[rincons land]

38. heres an answer

source: http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/2/6/113036.shtml

Bush Guard Commander Recants AWOL Charge

The ex-military man who first launched charges during the 2000 presidential campaign that President Bush had gone AWOL from the National Guard has recanted his story.

The account from Brig. Gen. William Turnipseed, who told the Boston Globe four years ago that Bush never showed up for Guard drills with his Alabama unit, had become the centerpiece of Democratic attacks on the White House in recent days.

"Had reported in, I would have had some recall, and I do not," Gen. Turnipseed told the Globe in May 2000. "I had been in Texas, done my flight training there. If we had had a first lieutenant from Texas, I would have remembered."

But on Wednesday Gen. Turnipseed reversed course, telling NBC News: "I don't know if showed up, I don't know if he didn't. I don't remember how often I was even at the base."

[Unknown Known]

40. Consider the source - anyhow what about the "lost records"?

Some retired military guy on CNN last talked about it would be very serious and improbable that *bush's records were "lost". That military records are extremely important and used for many purposes.

So where are the records? If they can't produce the records then they can never prove that he WASN'T AWOL.

[rincons land]

41. thats like trying to prove a negative

impossible to do

[maxrandb]

64. The OJ Defense Folks

You are too much! ROTFLMAO. "proving a negative"?! That is GrRReat! The same defense that OJ and Pete Rose used. Your stuck defending this POS by using the OJ and Pete Rose defense. Ha.

And please, get your news from somewhere other than newsmax. These are the same folks who seriously believe that Hillary Clinton is the love child of Hitler and Eva Braun.

Don't want to make your head explode, but I can't wait until John Kerry appoints Senator!! Clinton to the Supreme Court.

Put that in your little pipe and smoke it. No don't. If you get your news from newsmax you are already "smoking" something.

[Catherine Vincent]

46. You've posted this newsmax link 3 times already.

Are you trying to defend the chimp? So the guy now says he doesn't remember....in other words, he's useless.

Next.

[rincons land]

48. but if he's useless...

then doesn't that mean that his accusations are also without merit?

[Catherine Vincent]

49. I didn't read your link because I don't do newsmax.

But you're implying that if it wasn't for this guy, the awol charge would not have come out. There are other sources that has uncovered bush's absenteeism.

[rincons land]

50. this was the main guy who started the accusation

do yourself a favor and read it. It might expand your mind.

[oneighty]

60. Mr. Bush* can produce his military service records.

anytime he wishes. Any veteran can do that. Then he prove us wrong, shut us up. Why does he not do that? I am waiting for an answer.

180

[Name removed]

52. Deleted message

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

[Catherine Vincent]

53. The truth?

That figures. Knew you were a bush apologist. Go back to freakrepublic.

[rincons land]

54. does it do any good..

..to base an argument on something that isn't true?

[rincons land]

55. btw..

Did you bother to read the other link I provided? It is insightful.

[dArKeR]

51. Junior never flew a jet solo. That's my feeling and it's hard to believe

no pictures were ever taken of Junior flying solo considering the wealth and power of The Bush Crime Family.

[rincons land]

58. what does that prove?

IS there a photo of you driving a car? Does that mean that you never drove a car solo?

[seemslikeadream]

59. rincons

while your boy was snortin' the blue flake:

Total Servicemembers: 9,200,000
Deployed to Southeast Asia: 3,100,000
Battle Deaths: 47,410
Other Service Deaths (theater): 10,788
Other Service Deaths (non theater): 32,000
Nonmortal Wounding: 153,303

How do you think the 1,753,530 living Veterans feel about a deserter!

Face it he is a fraud!

And all he has to do is show his tax returns to prove he was there, he never will.

[Name removed]

72. Deleted message

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

[seemslikeadream]

78. The Pentagon spent $1 million dollars

training the boy.

The boy told reporters how important it was to follow in his father's footsteps and to become a fighter pilot yet it April 1972, George Bush climbed out of a military cockpit for the last time. He still had two more years to serve, but Bush's own discharge papers suggest he many have walked away from the Guard for good.

Which is where Air Force Regulation 160-23, also known as the Medical Service Drug Abuse Testing Program, comes in. The new drug-testing effort was officially launched by the Air Force on April 21, following a Jan. 11, 1972, increased drug use among soldiers in Vietnam, instructed the military branches to "establish the requirement for a systematic drug abuse testing program of all military personnel on active duty, effective 1 July 1972."

White House officials insist that if Bush missed any weekend Guard drills in 1972, he made up for them during the summer of 1973. If this is true, he would have been vulnerable to random drug tests during his makeup days. But again, Bush's own discharge papers fail to conclusively back up his claim that he performed Guard service in 1973.

Also, if Bush had served in 1973, there would have to be an Officer Effectiveness Rating for that year in his military file. THERE IS NOT!

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2994/02/06/drugs/

Just in case you missed it.

While your boy was awol my friends were dying and my relatives were being sprayed with Agent Orange and are living with the horror everyday. Check out www.bringthemhomenow.com and see the hell your fly boy has brought.

Estimates on the number of US soldiers,sailors and Marines medically evacuated from Iraq by the end of 2003 because of battlefield wounds, illness or other reasons range from11,000 to 22,000, a staggering figure by any standard. And the war is less than one year old.

http://www.axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/article_5036.shtml

[dArKeR]

61. Further, he also met about 10 guys who claimed to know guys who got

similarly fleeced. (by Nixon)

My point is this. The forward areas of the Pacific were, I think we can all agree, a slightly more chaotic and random duty station than was, say, Air National Guard billet in Alabama in the early 1970s.  Yet, by his own reckoning, my father met at least 13 guys claiming at least a secondhand acquaintance with a future president of the United States.  By contrast, the Republicans can't find one single person who remembers encountering the young C-Plus Augustus in peaceful Alabama as the age of Aquarius faded.

Not...one...single...person.

They apparently can;t even find anyone who saw him in the Piggly Wiggly, let alone in the cockpit of a jet fighter.

They apparently can't even find one barracks braggart to come out and lie about it.

They apparently can't even find anyone who'll do it just for the reward money.

That is the ground on which I call bulls**t on every bit of Republican spin on this story.  You lied.  You're still lying.  You buried the documentary evidence.  Admit it and move along, please.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3449870/

[Unknown Known]

63. Here's the CNN transcript re: *bush's "lost" military records

James Webb, former Sec'y of Navy during Reagan admin. talking w/Aaron Brown:

And what about the president, he managed to find one of those coveted spots in the National Guard at a time, different from today, when that was very much a safe haven from Vietnam, does that matter? Does his attendance record, a matter of much debate, matter? Does all of it or any of it matter?

We're joined tonight by James Webb. Mr. Webb served as secretary of the Navy in the Reagan administration, a graduate of the Naval Academy and a decorated Marine. He is also an author of some note. We're pleased to have him with us. Is it fair game all of this stuff, Senator Kerry and the president's time 30 years ago?

JAMES WEBB, FORMER SECRETARY OF THE NAVY: I think it's not only fair game but I think there are considerations that are at play here that because they illuminate larger issues of credibility could really make this kind of nasty in a surprising way.

You have John Kerry who by all accounts served very well when he was in Vietnam. When he came home he, as you mentioned, was involved in the anti-war movement, Vietnam Veterans Against the War, which was a very small group of maybe 7,000 veterans at the most, Vietnam veterans and gained a lot of antipathy from people who served in Vietnam because of his role as a spokesman in what was called the winter soldiers or the winter crimes tribunal, which was involved in laying out a long list of allegations against the people that really hurt, stigmatized the people who served.

He also was one of the architects of the (unintelligible) with communist Vietnam which, on the one hand, was good but on the other he gained the anger of a lot of the Vietnamese American community leaders because he never consulted them when he was dealing with the communists, so John...

BROWN: And -- I'm sorry, and the president?

WEBB: And George Bush did none of those things, George W. In fact, he did nothing. I mean he apparently was able to get his father's political influence in order to get him in to the Texas National Guard in 1968 at the height of the war at a time when being in the National Guard virtually guaranteed that you wouldn't have to go into combat.

He later transferred over into the Alabama National Guard. As you mentioned there is some question about his attendance records. The White House has responded in a rather confusing way by saying that these records have been lost.

I can tell you having spent three years as assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs in charge of the guard and the reserve programs it would be very unusual to lose these records.

They are important for monitoring pay, also for the credit that you get for drill that goes against satisfactory performance in the guard and these sorts of things, so there are a lot of questions out there.

And, at the same time, this is taking place against the backdrop of a war that a lot of the people who served in have sons and daughters serving in now and view as unnecessary.

BROWN: Let me -- let me ask the question this way. Whatever each of them did back then or didn't do back then they were a little bit more but not much more than kids. I mean they were, you know, 20, 21, 22, 23 years old. What does that tell us really about who they are today and how they would deal with the issues of today?

WEBB: Well, I think that's a really good question first of all and a valid question because first of all we make decisions all through our lives that we have to live with for the rest of our lives. And, second, the most important question really is who is the least dangerous in terms of the situation that we're in right now?

I say that because there's an enormous amount of concern about what the Bush administration has done in terms of the Iraq War and I personally would never even have thought that large numbers of Vietnam veterans would be moving toward John Kerry because of the anger toward him from before but you're seeing this happen now largely just because of concern over the management of the Iraq War. BROWN: Do you think that, you know, some day our kids are going to be sitting around talking about his that this will never go away or is there something about the moment that we're in, this kind of odd moment we're in where this may be the moment where we really do as a country come to terms with Vietnam?

WEBB: Well, you know, first of all I think that all historical events that are major events in a life of a country become assimilated. They don't go away. They become a part of the national dialogue forever and that's going to happen with Vietnam.

I had two ancestors die fighting for the Confederacy in the Civil War. That's something that still resonates through the communities and the families. But the situation now is different, as you said.

The issue of Vietnam when Bill Clinton was running was different because it was sort of intergenerational. He was running against World War II veterans. This issue the last time around with Al Gore I personally think that both sides were sort of holding back heavy artillery.

They didn't want to throw it out there but there is some volatility in both -- on both sides. Both of these people have some negatives that could hurt them and since Kerry's record is already out there, he's got a long record, everybody knows what he did in the anti-war movement and this sort of thing that it's natural for the Kerry campaign strategically to go after what George W. Bush did because their guy's stuff is already out there.

BROWN: Mr. Webb, good to have you with us tonight.

WEBB: Thank you very much.

BROWN: You took pretty clean shots at both of these guys and that I think framed the argument and I suspect it's going to be an argument pretty well for months to come. Thank you again, sir.

WEBB: Well, I think we're all struggling with it. Thank you.

BROWN: We are indeed. We welcome you back. Thank you.

http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0402/04/asb.00.html

[NNN0LHI]

65. BUSH WAS A DRUG ADDICT/ALCOHOLIC! Even he admits that!

How could he have ever flown a jet? Its all BS.

Don

[rincons land]

67. I know he admits to being a former alcoholic

but when did he admit to being a drug addict? Did I miss something?

[Lisa]

68. has he even admitted that?

I thought the closest he got was saying that the drinking was starting to "interfere with his affections" or words to that effect.

A psychologist pointed out to me that so far, Bush has been able to benefit from public sympathy -- for example, a lot of commentators feel it's in poor taste to criticize people who are afflicted by what is now perceived as an illness -- without actually going through the motions to help himself (e.g. taking part in AA).

Ironically, it's the liberals he so despises who worked for decades to get people to see it as something other than a "moral failing". Bush, however, is still trapped in the mindset where learning disabilities, poverty, and other problems are all justified punishments from God for being a bad person. (Which might be why he gets defensive about possibly having dyslexia -- though apparently it does occur in his family, and his mom has worked with literacy organizations addressing it.)

While this is as it should be ... people shouldn't have to fear being ostracized as "drunk" or "stupid" ... it does mean that opportunists like Bush have been able to take a lot of advantage, to avoid answering uncomfortable questions.

[yellowcanine]

70. He admits nothing of the kind

He won't talk about any drug use and the press let him get away with it. As for alcohol he admits he drank too much but refuses to admit he was/is an alcoholic. He says he quit using alcohol with the help of Jesus. Actually I think he still drinks. The "pretzel incident" appeared to be a cover-up of the results of falling down drunk.

[Lisa]

71. another politician has tried the Bush approach ...

Ralph Klein, the premier of Alberta (Canada) got into trouble after a night of drinking, which he capped off by having his driver take him to a homeless shelter so he could yell at the residents and pick fights with them. (I swear I'm not making this up.)

Anyway, once it became evident that he had a problem, Ralph had a big tear-soaked press conference where he begged for sympathy. When reporters asked if he would be going to AA (and setting an example for other alcoholics), Ralph bristled and said that he would be doing things his own way, and that conventional therapy just wouldn't work because he was too high-profile. Bush, too, insisted that he had gone cold-turkey. Translation: I'm too macho to need help from a bunch of touchy-feely liberal wimps and "medical experts" -- why, it's nothing I can't do all by myself, and it's not even a problem, so what are you looking at?

[banana republican]

76. He was probably in RE-hab.....

[Name removed]

77. Deleted message

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

[Jax]

79. Yes you are here

defending the appointed deserter.

Duly noted, bookmarked.

Jax

[Bridget Burke]

81. Part of the time he was doing community service....

In Houston. He's spoken glowingly about Volunteerism (thousand points of light, y'know), so it's puzzling why he's neglected to share the details of this episode with the world. (Read "Fortunate Son".)

The only W drug encounter I ever heard about was at a party where acid was featured; he flipped out. (I know LOTS of people here in Houston.) Just as a guess, he'd prefer coke--it wipes out all those inner doubts. Until you run out.

Hey, we speculate a lot here.