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Still, the same day after the retired general had withdrawn the allegation, Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe was citing Turnipseed's earlier, erroneous account in a bid to keep AWOL charges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