Free Republic

Though he has yet to fulfill his promise to "Meet the Press" host Tim Russert twelve days ago to sign Pentagon Form 180, Sen. John Kerry complained this week that President Bush is withholding fitness reports from his days in the National Guard. "All of my medical records and all of my fitness reports, every fitness report involving each place I served, is public," he insisted to the Boston Globe, in little noticed comments last Sunday.

It's time to drive a stake into this continuing saga less it become the new grassy knoll for the left-wing pundits and blogosphere. I accept the challenge. [snip] how do I prove this memo is a fake? Easy -- for the weekend that 1st Lt. Bush was supposedly ordered to report for his physical, May 13-14, 1972, the Ellington Air Guard Base was closed. It was Mother's Day. Except for emergencies, Air Guard units never drilled on Mother's Day; the divorce lawyers would be waiting at the gate. [snip]

THE CBS REPORT issued last week by Richard Thornburgh and Louis Boccardi left a number of interesting questions unanswered. The Internet in general and the blogosphere in particular are a means of harnessing open-source information. So we'd like to invite the blogosphere to help answer some of the questions Thornburgh and Boccardi left dangling. (1) Who is Michael Smith? The report identifies him only as a "journalist" in Texas. The panel does not appear to have spoken with Smith and tells us nothing of his previous work. Does he or did he work for a mainstream newspaper? A local television...

The editors of the Weekly Standard have issued a call to the blogosphere for help in tying up a few of Rathergate's many dangling threads: "Fishing expedition." Here they are: (1) Who is Michael Smith? The report identifies him only as a "journalist" in Texas. The panel does not appear to have spoken with Smith and tells us nothing of his previous work. Does he or did he work for a mainstream newspaper? A local television station? Does he write for a website or run a blog? Has he been involved in politics? As the man who led Mary Mapes...

THE THORNBURGH-BOCCARDI PANEL makes a great show of its agnosticism about the question at the heart of the CBS scandal: Are the memos CBS presented authentic? On this score, the CBS Report is certain in its uncertainty: "The Panel was not able to reach a definitive conclusion as to the authenticity of the Killian documents." This statement was surely news-worthy. Before Monday, the forgery of the documents had been settled. Settled, that is, by a large cohort of experts, a bevy of testimony from the blogosphere, and, most definitively, by Dr. Joseph Newcomer. On September 12, 2004, Newcomer, one of...

On Monday, CBS News fired four senior officials in the wake of an independent report related to the airing of a “60 Minutes” piece in September about President George W. Bush’s Vietnam-era National Guard service. This is a good, necessary and appropriate step in ensuring that the news the public receives from unbiased news sources is just that — fair and unbiased. The sad part is that this administration cannot seem to take similar steps to root out the causes of misinformation and immorality. In September, CBS got a tip that Bush had gotten into the National Guard only because...

The election has been over for weeks, but experts and observers are still pondering the results. Dr. Arthur B. Robinson, the president of the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine, comments that "Big media tried some very big lies late in the campaign in blatant attempts to defeat the President before these lies could be countered. For the most part, these efforts did not work. They were countered by the truth¯on the Internet¯in remarkably timely fashion."

Rangel: Bush Had 'Good Reason' to Avoid Nat'l Guard Drug Test If the White House was hoping that the bitter personal attacks against President Bush would subside after the election, Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-NY, disabused them of the notion on Saturday, when he suggested during a radio interview that Bush used illegal drugs while serving in the National Guard. After alleging that Bush "deliberately avoided service in Vietnam" by joining the Texas Air National Guard, Rangel told WABC's Mark Simone that Bush missed a 1972 physical, which was required for Guard pilots. "He must have had a good reason why...

WASHINGTON The Air Force today announced it's placing a squadron of Predator unmanned aerial vehicles with the Texas Air National Guard. Putting the drones in Texas is an effort by the Air Force to modernize active duty forces, while winnowing the size of the military. Where the squadron can be located has not been announced, but the Texas Air National Guard has units in San Antonio, Fort Worth and Houston. The Air Force is testing whether to move some activities now performed by active duty personnel to the Guard and Reserve. The Air Force says locating a squadron in Texas...

I just heard on NBC TV affiliate in Albany , NY refer to the TANG documents from the 60 Minutes report as the "allegedly" falsified documents. What a hoot. They were undeniably forged documents. This is the perfect example of disinformation. Bringing the already proven facts into question in order to salvage Dan Rather's reputation. CBS attempted to influence a presidential election by endorsing blatantly false documents. This is a fact. These leftists are living in a Orwellian nightmare. Next they'll be talking about Clinton's alledged sexual liason with Monica Lewinski.

Bush will prevail Americans are smart enough not to buy Democrats' rants By Paul Jackson -- Calgary Sun HOUSTON --This state really is the heartbeat of America, just as Alberta is the heartbeat of Canada. Trouble is, the Democrats here recognize Texas' economic vitality and moral values no more than the Liberals recognize Alberta's economic vitality and moral values. That's why both Democrats and Liberals respectively demean Texas and Alberta at every opportunity. We threaten their amoral way of life. The Democrats try to paint a caricature of President George W. Bush in much the same way the Liberals did...

October 26, 2004 AP: New Bush Guard Papers Leave Questions By MATT KELLEY ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) - Unearthed under legal pressure, three-decade-old documents portray President Bush as a capable and well-liked Air National Guard pilot who stopped flying and attending regular drills two-thirds of the way through his six-year commitment - without consequence. The files, many of them forced to light by Freedom of Information lawsuits by The Associated Press, conflict with some of the harshest attacks Democrats have levied on Bush's Vietnam-era service, such as suggestions that Bush was a deserter or absent without leave. But gaps in...

Bush pulled his weight’ Military check revealed by brothers from Montoursville Dave Thompson Sun-Gazette Staff Montoursville brothers Adam and Bryan Makos, historians and publishers of military aircraft magazine Ghost Wings, say they are about to set the record straight concerning the Vietnam-era service of President George W. Bush. An article will be published in the November issue of the magazine that debunks allegations that Bush was a shirker who used the influence of his powerful family to get special treatment during the war. They didn’t set out to debunk those and other charges, Adam Makos, 23, said. Research for the...

Wednesday, October 27, 2004 Documents reveal Bush not disciplined in Guard WASHINGTON (AP) — Unearthed under legal pressure, three-decade-old documents portray President Bush as a capable and well-liked Air National Guard pilot who stopped flying and attending regular drills two-thirds of the way through his six-year commitment — without consequence. The files, many of them forced to light by Freedom of Information lawsuits by The Associated Press, conflict with some of the harshest attacks Democrats have levied on Bush's Vietnam-era service, such as suggestions that Bush was a deserter or absent without leave.

By MATT KELLEY, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - Unearthed under legal pressure, three-decade-old documents portray President Bush (news - web sites) as a capable and well-liked Air National Guard pilot who stopped flying and attending regular drills two-thirds of the way through his six-year commitment — without consequence.

Hoaxes Propped Up CBS's Fraudulent Memos (Part II) Dan Rather's CBS' 60 Minutes Hit Piece on President Bush's ANG Record based on Left-Wing Media Hoaxes. By Col. John H. Wambough, Jr. USAF (Ret.) October 25, 2004 Bush and Uncommon Valor and Stolen Honor (Let our POWs be Heard) Coward/Draft Dodger Hoax Left-Wing Media (LWM) treachery, deception and distortion laid a solid foundation for Dan Rather's CBS' 60 Minute fabricated story and fraudulent memos. Thousands of communications misled the American people about George W. Bush's (GWB's) service in the Air National Guard (ANG). LWM fraudulently orchestrated so many hoaxes on President...

Hoaxes Propped Up CBS's Fraudulent Memos Dan Rather's CBS' 60 Minutes Hit Piece on President Bush's ANG Record based on Left-Wing Media Hoaxes. By Col. John H. Wambough, Jr. USAF (Ret.) October 22, 2004 - See Bush and Uncommon Valor www.nsar.us Article: Series One Leapfrogged Hundreds Hoax and Political Influence/Favoritism Hoax Since Left-Wing Media (LWM) has fabricated many hoaxes (concerning President Bush's Air National Guard service), it is not practical to address each of them in one article - so they will be presented to the American people in a series, starting with the “Leapfrogged Hundreds Hoax” and “Political Influence/Favoritism...

WASHINGTON - Weeks after Texas National Guard officials signed an oath swearing they had turned over all of President Bush's military records, independent examiners found more than two dozen pages of previously unreleased documents about Bush. The two retired Army lawyers went through Texas files under an agreement between the Texas Guard and The Associated Press, which sued to gain access to the files. The 31 pages of documents turned over to AP on Thursday include orders for high-altitude training in 1972, less than three months before Bush abruptly quit flying as a fighter pilot. The discovery is the latest...

Independent Review Finds Bush Records Texas National Guard Officials Missed By Matt Kelley Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - Weeks after Texas National Guard officials signed an oath swearing they had turned over all of President Bush's military records, independent examiners found more than two dozen pages of previously unreleased documents about Bush. The two retired Army lawyers went through Texas files under an agreement between the Texas Guard and The Associated Press, which sued to gain access to the files. The 31 pages of documents turned over to AP Thursday night include orders for high-altitude training in 1972, less...

Inquiring Minds Want to Know: Equal Rules for the Press? Posted October 11, 2004 By Paul M. Rodriguez Catching up on the weekend news post the second presidential debate was a bit disturbing - and just reaffirms what so many readers of Insight have complained about concerning bias in the press. Specifically: Where are the stories analyzing the campaign issues raised by John F. Kerry compared to his political stump rhetoric compared to the senator's 20 years worth of votes, speeches and legislative history? Sure, sure - I know, that would mean that news organizations actually are looking for fair...