Posted on 02/06/2004 9:04:03 AM PST by 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Still, the same day after the retired general had withdrawn the allegation, Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe was citing Turnipseed's earlier, erroneous account in a bid to keep AWOL charges against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."
My long answer is "no".
Leni
So then, General Turnipseed, if that IS your real name, are you admitting--publically!--that it was YOU who was AWOL this whole time? And that you fabricated this whole charade to shift the blame from you to Bush in order to gain fame and fortune? Your Honor, I rest my case.
Well, mid to late 70s at least. I know an AF Reserve Brigadier General who's only about 50. Still not a bad looking lady either, if you like athletic blonds that are a bit on the thin side :)
He was Colonel. He may very well have had duties that took him to other Alabama ANG bases, as well as to the State Headquarters of the Guard. I don't know for certain how many bases/stations Alabama might have had at that time, but as point of referance, Texas has 3 flying units, C-130s at Ft. Worth NAS, F-16s at San Antonio, and Bush's old unit also flying F-16s at Houston, they use the same field as NASA's JSC. Plus non-flying support units at Garland, LaPort, El Paso, and Beaumont. Michigan also has 3 flying units, A-10s, F-16s and C-130s. Alabama currently has 2 flying units KC-135Rs at Birmingham, and F-16s at Montgomery, plus 4 Combat Com Squadrons spread out in least 3 cities, and the State Hq.
You think Colonels know all about every attached LT?
Why would he apologize? Dimocrats are allowed to slander and lie...aren't they?
And, of course, it shows them at the height of their hypocrisy in that Clinton was a pot smoking (not inhaling of course) draft dodger.
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