Bush Guard Commander Recants AWOL Charge

NewsMax.com ^ | Feb. 6, 2004 | Carl Limbacher

[Carl/NewsMax]

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 for Guard drills with his Alabama unit, had become the centerpiece of Democratic attacks on the White House in recent days.

"Had [Bush] 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 [Bush] showed up, I don't know if he didn't. I don't remember how often I was even at the base."

Still, the same day after the retired general had withdrawn the allegation, Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe was citing Turnipseed's earlier, erroneous account in a bid to keep AWOL charges against Bush afloat.

"The commander this week reiterated the entire time [Bush] was supposed to show up in the Alabama National Guard he wasn't there," McAuliffe told CNN's "Inside Politics" on Wednesday. "He said he made it up later, but you don't have that option. When you're supposed to serve our country, you're supposed to be there."

In fact, McAuliffe was wrong on the latter point as well, since Guard regulations expressly allow for make-up drills, according to no less an authority than Gen. Turnipseed himself.

In July 2000, the New York Times reported, "Colonel Turnipseed, who retired as a general, said in an interview that regulations allowed Guard members to miss duty as long as it was made up within the same quarter."

Asked if Chairman McAuliffe was prepared to apologize to the White House for misstating Gen. Turnipseed's position on the Bush AWOL allegation, a spokesman for the DNC told NewsMax, "I don't know. We'll get back to you."

[ladtx]

How old is this guy? If he was a Colonel in the early 70's he's got to be in his eighties by now.

[The G Man]

The only folks who are AWOL are the Democrats in the War on Terror.

[2banana]

Someone should ask Brig. Gen. William Turnipseed how he feels that the democrats think being in the National Guard is not serving your country or being in the National Guard is not equal to being in the military.

[scouse]

Brig. Gen. William Turnipseed,

I always thought he was a character in one of Shakespeare's plays. Midsummers Night's Dream comes to mind.

[areafiftyone]

Looks like the democreeps' AWOL plan is unraveling slowly but surely. HEH HEH!!

[Samwise]

The only folks who are AWOL are the Democrats in the War on Terror.

Dang! I wish I had Photoshop at home. That would make one great picture.

Kerry

AWOL in the War on Terror

[Sunshine Sister]

Yeah right! How much does anyone wanna bet that none of the alphabet news shows carries this?

[js1138]

Gen. William Turnipseed...

You're not supposed to post articles from The Onion.

[kevkrom]

How old is this guy? If he was a Colonel in the early 70's he's got to be in his eighties by now.

How do you come up with that? Colonels, in my experience, are in their early 40's usually.

[international american]

"Still, the same day after the retired general had withdrawn the allegation, Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe was citing Turnipseed's earlier, erroneous account in a bid to keep AWOL charges against Bush afloat."

We need to go after Terry with a vengeance!!

[Corin Stormhands]

I always thought he was a character in one of Shakespeare's plays. Midsummers Night's Dream comes to mind.

I was "Peter Quince" in a college production. I don't remember a "Turnipseed."

Seem to recall something about an ass tho...

[rhombus]

So why is only NewsMax reporting this?

[finnman69]

Kerry has been AWOL from the Senate...look how many votes he has missed.

[Petronski]

Thank you for doing your (important) part to spread the word. The spitting, hateful leftists at du.com do NOT want this news disseminated.

[ElectricStrawberry]

I had a Nurse in an army hospital (Ft. Chaffee, AR) named Turnipseed....thought it was an unusual name...must be a regional family name.

[BlueLancer]

"Brig. Gen. William Turnipseed"

I always thought he was a character in Li'l Abner ...

Let's see ... General Jubilation T. Cornpone ...
... General Bullmoose ...
... General Turnipseed?

[CyberAnt]

Yes it is, and the Washington Times had a 3 person editorial totally debunking the story and naming names of those dems who have been spewing the garbage about the President. It was not kind to the democrats.

But .. Hillary doesn't care if it hurts the dems .. she is still above the fray. She tells the goons to do this stuff, and she gets to appear about it all. Sooner or later one of her goons (with credibility) is going to turn on her and it will be over for the Hillary regime!!

[CyberAnt]

Washington Times really took Terry to task over this AWOL stuff .. saying some group, Anneberg (?) had investigated this in 2000 and had totally negated any truth to it.

Of course, when did the truth stop Terry or Hillary.

[ladtx]

Generally guard people are older than the active duty guys. I figure the guy was late 40's early 50's. If W was in Alabama in 1974; 50+30=80, simple arithmetic.

[CyberAnt]

Washington Times really took Terry to task over this AWOL stuff .. saying some think tank group, Annenberg (?) had investigated this in 2000 and had totally negated any truth to the charge.

Of course, when did the truth stop Terry or Hillary.

[MizSterious]

"I don't know if [Bush] showed up, I don't know if he didn't. I don't remember how often I was even at the base."

Well, now. He doesn't recall how often he was even at the base.

[The G Man]

Thank you! I'll be here all week!

[alloysteel]

Just because the logic of being "AWOL" has become unraveled, does not mean that the Democrats won't keep repeating it.

Trying to overcome Democrat assertions by showing, over and over, that their statements are based on erroneous information, is like trying to shovel out the ocean.

That is just part of the landscape.

Ah, but ask them what THEIR program is, and they cannot come up with anything positive. The best they can do sounds a lot like "Me, too."

[commish]

These are the flailings of a dying entity.

The Dems are reduced to scooping up whatever mud they can find and flinging it all over hoping something sticks.

They can tout all the polls they want, these are not the actions of a campaign that is leading -- these are the desperate actions of a group that knows they are going down to defeat and are doing anything they can to stop that from happening.

Everyone needs to prepare themselves, this is going to just get louder, shriller, meaner and uglier.

[Samwise]

Kerry

AWOL in the War on Terror

[Callahan]

How friggin' lame is this AWOL stuff? Didn't we go over this four years ago? The Rats are sooo proud that they finally have a candidate who's not totally despised by the U.S. military.

[mystery-ak]

This is the rat's MO...drop these *bombshells* for several days...wen proven false, no apology or retraction...damage done and move on to the next *bombshell*...drip by drip character assassination.

[CyberAnt]

Plus the people at the Blount campaign said Bush was flying with the Alabama Guard. When you put those together, a logical person would say that Turnipseed is the person who doesn't know .. not that Bush wasn't there.

[AnAmericanMother]

Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Moth, and Mustardseed . . . the four fairies attendant on . . .

Bottom.

[Arrowhead1952]

So why is only NewsMax reporting this?

The alphabet networks are probably working overtime trying to find a way to spin this to make Bush look bad.

[George W. Bush]

Turnipseed? Turnipseed?

They gotta be kidding.

At any rate, I'd be more interested in finding out who removed Bush's Guard records from the military archives. But we know the Klintons liked to 'appropriate' files. Like the 900+ FBI files they had.

[GreenLanternCorps]

My Dad is a retired Colonel (USAF). he became a Colonel IIRC in 1972 and retired in 1982. He's in his early 70's.

[CyberAnt]

I agree .. but the goal of keeping Bush from using the carrier landing in his ads .. is now not an option. I think Bush could be feisty enough to use it just because he knows it gets their goat!

[hoosiermama]

Don't know the answer to that question, but the answer to the question in my tag line is ZERO!

LAZY? NO work Ethic? Mooches off his wives? A real chump.

[Blood of Tyrants]

The lie has been told. They will keep telling it no matter what. The truth is irrelevant to the Bush haters.

If they don't like his politics, that is one thing. I am not happy with him and I voted for him. But to just flat out lie is beyond despicable.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

And the balloon deflates...

O~~

O~~

O~~

O~~

[doggieboy]

That's a good place for him don't you think? Causes less damage for the country when he's not in Congress.

[dighton]

In From Here To Eternity, the stockade 'giants' are Hanson and Turnipseed.

[hoosiermama]

We need to send the paragraph, page number of the National Guard manual/rules which allows people to make up their time to the alphabet networks.....They need it in writing. Anyone have a copy or know where we can get a copy?

[adam_az]

"The commander this week reiterated the entire time [Bush] was supposed to show up in the Alabama National Guard he wasn't there," McAuliffe told CNN's "Inside Politics" on Wednesday. "He said he made it up later, but you don't have that option. When you're supposed to serve our country, you're supposed to be there."

Another McAwful lie. It's very common in the Guard to reschedule or make up meeting times. Everyone who ever served in the Guard will know that McAwful is a liar. Good.

[BlueLancer]

In "From Here To Eternity," the stockade 'giants' are Hanson and Turnipseed.

Dighton ... you never cease to amaze me with your knowledge of esoteric trivia.

[MinuteGal]

Sounds like this guy fell off a truckload of turnipseeds a long time ago.

He's had a long time to clear up his foggy memory.

Leni

[The G Man]

"a logical person would say that Turnipseed is the person who doesn't know"

Colonel Turnipseed appears to have been AWOL methinks!

[Cobra64]

"McAuliffe told CNN's "Inside Politics" on Wednesday. "He said he made it up later, but you don't have that option. When you're supposed to serve our country, you're supposed to be there."

Uhhh, anyone ever mention this to Dean and The Stainman? Did Terry McAwful serve in the military?

[hoosiermama]

Hi Leni! If $ crossed his palm, he may not be interested in clearing it up.

[fritzz]

Your right this AWOL stuff just drives me nuts.

I was in the Air Guard. Many pilots are from out of state and they get assigned to a Guard Unit because of the type of aircraft in the unit. They fly in do their time and go home. They don't show up at the regular week-end drills. There must be some pilots out there who could clear this up. This type of service typical.

[Cowboy Bob]

I always thought he was a character in one of Shakespeare's plays. Midsummers Night's Dream comes to mind.

I thought he was one of the characters in the game "Clue."

[geedee]

How old is this guy? If he was a Colonel in the early 70's he's got to be in his eighties by now.

I'll have Tommy ask him for you . . .

[ladtx]

Was he in the Guard?