CNN Crossfire 2/6/2003: Begala's question for Bush

[LiberalFighter]

One of the questions that Begala would ask Bush* is:

Can you produce anyone that served with you in the Guard that can vouch for your service? Something like that... will have to wait for the transcript.

[JasonDeter]

1. George Bush can easily answer the AWOL question if you'll ask:

1) Attendance records from the Guard.

2) Pay Records from Uncle Sam.

3) Retirement Points. If the President attended drill he would have received retirement points for those drill dates.

4) Income Tax Records. The AL National Guard or the TX National Guard, if it were paying him, would have reported this income to the IRS, along with any withholding it kept from these paychecks.

Its very easy for George Bush to put this baby to sleep IF he's innocent of being AWOL.



Info was gleaned from this site:
http://philcarter.blogspot.com/2004_02_01_philcarter_archive.html#107591570333210255

[Karenina]

2. Maybe the printer jammed.

:shrug:

[cschultz671]

4. Another guardsman with the middle initial "W"

Someone at atrios pointed out that there was another guardsman who had the middle inital "w." Whoda thunk it?

http://uggabugga.blogspot.com/2004_02_01_uggabugga_archive.html#107598958388434533

[underpants]

5. So he has to prove that he DIDN'T skip a whole year

Why that proving a negative stuff is tough ya know.

They aren't going to address this until they HAVE too and at that point it will be in everyone's head and it will be too late. It doesn't really matter if he was AWOL or a Deserter (on technicalities I think he passes) the point is that they have to fight this unseen untouchable THING and that is tough to do. See "Al Gore says he invented the internet".

[librechik]

13. no, he has to prove that he did attend. and did serve honorably

like his rubber-stamp discharge seems to prove.
He claimed he attended, but then lately he's had spokespeople out claiming he made up the duty days. Which one was it, Shrub? Pick one and then prove that.

He doesn't have to prove a negative, that's what we are trying to do. And of course we can't.

Shrub must merely show the documentation that produced his honorable discharge. Shouldn't be a problem if true (with so many sources of records to choose from) In fact I'm sure there are many industrious PAs rushing around Alabama trying to find old warehoused files right now. And If it somehow turns out that no one can find other records of his service than the ones he has personally produced, I will be even more supicious, won't you?

(but he's already lied about it many times--the situation doesn't look hopeful.)

[Frances]

3. Another question that I would love to see Bush answer directly

Why didn't he take the physical that was required?

[macedc]

7. probably can't remember

he was doubtless on Drugs and Alcohol

[xray s]

6. Screw questions about AWOL...what about this stuff.

AWOL would be way down my list. Here are a bunch of far more important issues, and this is just a small part of a big list...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=1092573

[macedc]

8. Chiken hawks

I agree that the cheney stuff is very important and potentially very damaging to Bush

Nevertheless, its important to point to the lack of real service by those who make a career of attacking others patriotism starting with the top but basically runs all the way through the adimistration including cheney

The accumulating evidence is that GW(ar is a good issue for us) Bush was in fact AWOL and got it covered up (see salon's article yesterday). Though i am not that thrilled about kerry, if he is the nominee, this can be used to good advantage and should be continuously pushed in Bushes face, especially as he also keep cutting veterans benefits, etc.

[Karenina]

9. But THIS, dear xray s

RESONATES. Can you not hear that Liberty Bell ringing in the distance? Common folk don't relate to Cheney any more than they can wrap their brains around B.C.C.I. It's the "core values" issues that get 'em, you know the routine; motherhod, guns, bibles, u.s.w.

We've reached a "tipping point" here. No WMDs and foisting the blame onto intelligence is creating a little "problem." Uno, the spooks are NOT taking this shit (check out the Brits, eh?) and I don't doubt the bodies are all on ice. Deux, "500 or so" killed- NO FILM AT 11, 23,000 maimed, traumatized (some to the point of psychosis) AMERICAN SERVICEPEOPLE are back stateside dealing with a *gubmint that is FUCKING THEM OVER ROYALLY after sending them on an urgent mission to SAVE AMURIKA by routing out something that wasn't there. Now, extrapolate that number to the sister's neighbor's cousin's ex-husband's stepson and THERE you have it. Hell, WE KNEW! Anybody that can READ KNEW! 12 Million took to the streets GLOBALLY cuz THEY KNEW TOO! Drei, the economy... can ya feel it yet??? STILL think it's them welfare mothers messing witcho monay?

And to complete the square the guy pResiding over this bloody mess was AWOL. He got a strings-pulled, cush spot and was too blitzed to even show up. Anybody in the military knows this is a BIG no-no (Old and in the Way has HIS docs from a '52 mishap due to flight connexions) and will resent (rightfully so) "by the book" being, shall we say, "suspended" for some arrogant arschloch so convinced the rules didn't apply to him that he expanded the "lost weekend" into a "lost year." IT IS A SLAP IN THE FACE. The military is the ultimate mythological meritocracy. Read Stars and Stripes, Lebkuchen posts them.

American Servicepeople are NOT STUPID. Some really brave ones let it all hang out in S&S. Extrapolate that to those stuck in the hellhole protecting Halliburton's "property" who keep their mouths shut. The Pentagon REJECTED internet voting. This is a VERY GOOD THING. The military vote got seriously skewered last time...

"To whom much is given, much is expected." Who said that? :freak:
I had this quote from Paul Horn on my wall for YEARS, "Just show up."
The *dauphin didn't.

Brian Sweat Fri Feb-06-04 07:01 PM
Response to Original message
4. George Bush

He put the Dubya in aWol.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=1091633

[xray s]

10. Hey. I am all for keeping the AWOL buzz humming

But when you have the chimp in the hot seat I think you need to hit him with the big questions. Palme, Cheney's shenanigans, WMD, O'Neill's revelations, Halliburton, the secret energy meetings, why we have 130,000 GI's in Iraq when bin Laden is in Pakistan, Pakistan giving nuke tech to Iran/Libya/N Korea. etc.

It just seems to me the big stories are getting little, if any, press while AWOL is played 24/7. I just want the press to do its job.

Hey, if AWOL is what finally gets him, I'm all for it.

[alfredo]

15. First we have to stop the bleeding.

Getting Bush out of power is job number one.

If the stories all hit at once, they dilute each other. When one scandal dies, hit him with another. We need to get him out of office and before a war crimes tribunal.

[Terwilliger]

12. you mean...straining Bush credibility is not important?

In what plane of existence?

[xray s]

14. not saying that

Just want the press to pursue the other much bigger stories with the same enthusiasm as AWOL.

I think Bush's WMD statements do far, far more damage to Bush's credibility than AWOL. The press should be all over his ass on his "imminent threat" weasel talk.

The fresh lie is a better target than a 30 year old lie.

[Terwilliger]

16. true

but it's time to chip-away at whatever flank is open

[Poiuyt]

21. Remember Al Capone

The government couldn't nail him on all the murders and racketeering, so they got him on the non-sexy crime of income tax evasion. He was lauging at it at first.

Whatever works.

[maggrwaggr]

11. that dog ain't gonna hunt

why are they harping on that, when Bush's current crimes are WAY more awful than that.

This draft-dodging thing won't stick to Bush any more than the groping charges did to Ah-nold.

[mot78]

17. He had a great series of questions for *

I think those questions would make a great GE ad.

[bvar22]

18. But it IS sticking.

This particular issue (AWOL) has grown legs. It is in front of the TV fed Americans EVERY DAY. The bush* handlers have had to play defense.
This widens the bush* Credibility Gap!
Let it ride, hit him with other combos, and then hit him with AWOL again.

AWOL from the National Guard, AWOL on 9-11, AWOL when the warnings of 9-11 passed across his desk, AWOL when the intelligence reports stating that Saddam had NO WMD were read to him, AWOL when Enron was raping California...

[LiberalFighter]

19. Correction: Year is 2004

Sorry

Thanks to the reader that notified me.

[LiberalFighter]

20. From the transcript

BEGALA: Well, President Bush has agreed to do a rare one-hour interview on "Meet the Press" with Tim Russert this Sunday.

Now, look, Russert's the best. But, Mr. President, if you'll come here on CROSSFIRE for just a half-an-hour, I'll give you the questions in advance. Here they are. Why did you throw your arm around a firefighter at ground zero and then cut grants to local firefighters by 50 percent? Why do you say you honor those who wear the uniform, then produce a veterans budget so savage that the VFW calls it -- quote -- "a disgrace and a shame" -- unquote?

Why do you speak so emotionally about overcoming drinking and then cut $30 million from youth alcohol treatment? By the way, Mr. President, can you produce one person, even one, who remembers serving with you in the Alabama National Guard?

Crossfire Transcript