Bush's two years AWOL story in Salon.com

[Woodstock]

"...His father was a mere congressman at the time, but that was good enough to get Dubya in despite his low score on the pilot aptitude test. Pushed to the top of the waiting list, he was also awarded a highly unusual promotion to second lieutenant on completing his basic training, despite his lack of qualifications. In a civil lawsuit, former Texas Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes testified that he received a call from Sid Adger, a socially prominent Houston oilman and friend of the elder Bush. According to Barnes, Adger wanted to ensure that the unit at Ellington Air Force Base would take care of young Bush... Having made a six-year commitment to the Guard, ..."I continued flying with my unit for the next several years," he wrote. But that simply wasn't true: Lt. Bush never flew another jet after being suspended from flight duty in August 1972 for failing to take a mandated annual physical... his records show that he ignored two direct orders to do so -- and in fact was absent from duty for a year between May 1972 and May 1973. Bush sought a permanent transfer to a "postal unit" in Alabama that didn't require weekend drills or active duty, which was approved by his Texas superiors. In May 1972, National Guard headquarters denied his request -- which would have amounted to a permanent vacation from duty. The following autumn, he was assigned instead to temporary "alternative" training at the 187th Squadron in Montgomery, Ala. According to two former officers in that Alabama Guard unit, however, Bush never showed up...Nor could his campaign produce a single witness who confirmed that Bush had attended any Guard drills in Houston after he returned from Alabama in late 1972...The commander in chief's official National Guard record shows no evidence of service between May 1972 and May 1973. Although he was certainly in Houston during most of that period, he didn't return to duty at Ellington until the spring of 1973. ...Only the Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, the Dallas Morning News, and a Democratic Web site bothered to explore the curious absences and lapses of duty that resulted in Bush's grounding after two years of fighter training. Nobody insisted that he hold press conferences to explain himself. Pundits dismissed the issue when they mentioned it at all. The cultural assumption that Republicans are paragons of flag-saluting martial virtue is rarely challenged, regardless of reality...."

http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2003/08/20/conason_three/index1.html

MY QUESTION IS THIS - Will Democrats FINALLY get tough and bring up this issue during campaign 2004 - and make the media bring it up, too? How in hell did they get the military service label, when, as Conason points out, more Democrats served than Republicans?

[silverweb]

1. The DLC might let it slide...

but the Fighting Dems I know and love will nag repeatedly about W's every lie, as well as every hypocritical word and act!

:evilgrin:

[Woodstock]

2. Chickenhawks

"The long, distinguished list of Republican tough guys who never served descends from Vice President Dick Cheney, who has explained that he had "other priorities" during Vietnam, all the way down to Rush Limbaugh, who frequently impugns the patriotism of liberal veterans like Tom Daschle. It includes former Majority Leader Lott; former Speaker Newt Gingrich and his successor, Denny Hastert; the two Texans who actually ran the House after Gingrich's departure, Tom DeLay and Dick Armey; White House political advisor Karl Rove; and Phil Gramm, the senior senator from Texas who retired in 2002.

John Ashcroft would have been subject to the Vietnam draft when he graduated from law school in 1967, but a family friend swiftly set him up in a job teaching business law to undergraduates at a Springfield, Mo., college. The local draft board deemed this job "essential" and awarded him an occupational deferment, one of eight deferments he received between 1963 and 1969."

[Woodstock]

15. more

"How dare Senator Daschle criticize President Bush while we are fighting our war on terrorism?" cried Lott.

Daschle should have pounced on that invitation to compare their respective patriotic credentials, which would hardly have been flattering to Lott -- and would have exploded a widespread delusion about liberals and conservatives. The flag-flapping, ultranationalist Republican had not only avoided the draft with student deferments, but had also had spent the early years of the Vietnam conflict waving pom-poms as a cheerleader at Ole Miss. The thoughtful but determined Daschle, who rarely spoke about his own military service, had served three years in the Air Force after college as an intelligence officer in the Strategic Air Command."

WHY DOESN'T DASCHLE SPEAK ABOUT IT???

This is no time to be modest. Our future depends on it. Why were they able to get away with claiming Max Cleland was unpatriotic? Who said, at long last, have you no shame? Better yet, Daschle, why not start an argument for a change? Why must we always be on the defensive, and dance to their tune? OPEN YOUR MOUTH, DASCHLE!!! And surely there are some senators who can bang the drum about this issue during the 2004 campaign, when the thugs are SURE to try and bring this up, either challenging our candidate or continuing to paint us as weak on defense.

We also need to call Bush on his many other lies. There is an inquiry going on in Britain where they are ripping to shreds Tony Blair's lies. Are the Democrats going to play nice in this presidential campaign? If so, I'm going to rethink helping. I want a knock down, drag out, fight. Playing nice got us 2002 results. Putting Lieberman up there to play nice will get us 2002 results. Are they TOTALLY out of touch with the people? At least half the country is mad as hell, and the DNC has no clue.

[Eloriel]

3. Boy, this sank like a rock

Why?

Eloriel

[Wapsie B]

4. I certainly hope

Democrats force the story in '04. The way this story was dropped like a hot potato shows me the repugs have undue influence over the media.
Heck why not bring it out now? We've got kids dying over in Iraq being led by a CIC who is a military criminal. I just have to think what if it were Al who walked away from duty?

[Wapsie B]

5. I certainly hope

Democrats force the story in '04. The way this story was dropped like a hot potato shows me the repugs have undue influence over the media.
Heck why not bring it out now? We've got kids dying over in Iraq being led by a CIC who is a military criminal. I just have to think what if it were Al who walked away from duty?

[opihimoimoi]

6. kick

:kick:

THe man has no SHAME???

How could he put on that flight suit?

Only a deluded person could sleep at nights knowing he skipped out on the boys when they needed him. What a fucking cowardly chicken, running at first squawk


quack quack, even Daffy got more guts

[Octafish]

9. Have you seen Smirk in his future flight suit?

"Uh. Laura. Lookee here! I'm a bird man!"

[oustemnow]

7. "Nobody insisted that he hold press conferences to explain himself"

At one point during the 2000 campaign, a reporter broached the subject and someone from the Shrub campaign, Karen Hughes I believe, promised to investigate the matter and report back. Needless to say, she never did.

[Octafish]

8. AWOLbush.com and bonus: Pat Robertson: Liquor Officer

A nice resource to keep handy when talk turns to the commandeer-in-thief:

http://www.awolbush.com/

And who can forget his greasy turd supporter, Pat "Korean War Deserter" Robertson? The USMC 2nd Lt. who bragged about getting out of his assignment as a platoon leader and then abandoning his men, jumping off at the Yokohama dock and then literally waving "Bye-bye" as their troop ship shoved off to the fighting in Korea, where many died and were wounded. The story's source: ex-Rep and Presidential (vs. Nixon!) Pete McCloskey (R-Calif.).

Pat Robertson: "Liquor Officer"

In 1986, a new force emerged in US politics that would, in the 1994 elections, result in a major change in the alignment of the US Congress -- the "Christian right" -- an assortment and loose coalition of "Christian" organizations working, in their view, to bring about a "Christian" America.  In fact, they are working to bring about an America that fits their narrow definition of America.   These people are neither "Christian" nor "right."   Instead, they are dictatorial, mean-spirited, and intolerant.  Their principal leader is one Pat Robertson. 

No doubt you have seen Robertson on his television show, the "700 Club" where, among other outrageous claims, Robertson claims to occasionally receive messages from God.  It works -- Robertson raises huge amounts of money from the misled faithful.

I recommend that anyone who wishes to learn the facts about Robertson read this book:   The Most Dangerous Man in America:  Pat Robertson and the Christian Coalition, by Robert Boston. (1996; Prometheus Books, 59 John Glenn drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2197)

In his 1986 presidential campaign, Robertson claimed that he was a "combat Marine" who had served in combat during the Korean War.  This claim was a lie, typical of others told by Robertson.  However, this was one lie that he could not get away with -- there were Marines who knew Robertson and who knew the truth.

CONTINUED...

http://www.schlatter.org/liquor_officer.htm

[Clark Can WIN]

10. AWOL assjack

Many of our Democratic contenders have very strong abilities to attack him on these issues. Of course, I would say who better than a four star general but I hope ALL of the candidates attack him on this front. Especially since he has seen fit to send so many of our ANG and other military to thier deaths.

[KoKo]

20. Right......a Four Star General makes him totally qualified to be President

Doesn't matter about anything else......just put a Four Star in and Bush and the Repugs will melt away and America will go back to being just what it was before Bush was selected.

Dream on!

[oasis]

11. kick

[DoveTurnedHawk]

12. Clark or Kerry Could CRUCIFY Shrub on This

I would love to see the General drop the hammer on him!

DTH

[Booberdawg]

13. Kick for the day crew

:kick:

[Changenow]

14. kick/nt

[Woodstock]

16. It's more than the year - more like two

He was largely absent "from duty during the final two years of the six-year stint he agreed to serve."

"His final day in uniform was July 30, 1973, and he was officially released from active duty the following October -- eight months before he would have finished his original six-year commitment to the Guard."

The article is full of direct lies by Bush - that were directly proved to be lies by commanding officers.

This is discussed in Joe Conason's new book "Big Lies" - the introduction is here: http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2003/08/18/conason_one/index.html

[Poiuyt]

17. Suspended from flight duty

Bush lost his flying certificate because he refused to take his annual physical. Could the reason be that the physical included drug testing?

[Woodstock]

18. that is also implied in the piece and presumably the book

The book shows how their propaganda machine is painting us in terrible colors. My question is this - where the hell is OUR propaganda machine? I'm going to get the book - and if each and every senator on our side of the aisle doesn't get the book and do something about it, I want to know why before I give them any more of my votes. Why aren't the Democrats making more of this?

"Joe Conason explains how the right-wing propaganda machine demonizes liberals and distorts the common-sense politics of America."

[KoKo]

19. This should have been brought out by Gore/Lieberman..but after the Clinton

problems there might not have been an appetite by DLC to start a war with the Repug Media. By then they had to know what the RW was doing and how in control of the media they were.......so they must have decided to let it "slide." Then when 9/11 happened who really wanted to hear about Bush being AWOL. It might have been seen as too upsetting to the country to trash Bush when he was the "commander-in-chief"(HA!) and there was too much sympathy for him. But, when the "build up to push invading Iraq started there was NO REASON that this story should have been still "spiked." The story was out on liberal internet sites already and all that was needed was for the Networks and Cables to go with it. So, it says "the powers that be" will sit on this story as long as the Chimp is in office. Salon is one of the few places we will see this,even now, I think.

As for Democratic leadership not talking about it..........well I don't have any excuses anymore as to why now they can't attack him for being AWOL. Every Dem who voted for Iraq Invasion voted knowing what kind of person Bush is....I just can't excuse them....even if they lived in an area where it was crucial to their re-election.

[robbedvoter]

21. Conason's book: required reading for ALL candidates

As soon as I have one, I intend to send/give a copy of this. No proper campaigning can be planned without a thorough knowledge of all the facts in the book - just the basics!