Posted on 02/08/2004 4:43:47 AM PST by Alas Babylon!
Edited on 02/08/2004 12:09:59 PM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
The Talk Shows
Sunday, February 8th, 2004
Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows:
FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Sens. John Edwards (D-NC) and Pat Roberts (R-KS); and Rep. Porter J. Goss (R-FL).
MEET THE PRESS (NBC): President George W. Bush.
Transcript of Russert/Bush interview
FACE THE NATION (CBS): Former Vermont governor Howard Dean (D).
THIS WEEK (ABC): Senator John Edwards (D-NC), former Clinton chief of staff John D. Podesta and Republican pollster Bill McInturff.
LATE EDITION (CNN) : Sens. John W. Warner (R-VA) and Carl M. Levin (D-MI); retired Army Gen. Wesley K. Clark; Former Vermont governor Howard Dean; former Carter national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski; and former Reagan deputy chief of staff Michael K. Deaver.
Transcript of Russert/Bush interview
The "word" that comes to mind for me (and I imagine other posters as well)????
I did hear that! Notice how Edwards' poor showing hasn't led the media to count him out yet. I know it's because he actually won a primary, but STILL. Poor Howard. I miss him! LOL
Debunking The Bush AWOL Story - From The Horse's Mouth
Brig. Gen. Turnipseed | February 6, 2004 | Hon
Posted on 02/06/2004 6:58:26 PM EST by Hon
I just got off the phone about an hour ago with Brig. Gen. William R. Turnipseed. He is the sole source for the four year old story that Bush was AWOL during his National Guard service.
Mr. Turnipseed is very unhappy with the way what he said "casually" four years ago has been twisted by the "Bush haters" (his words) in the media, especially the Boston Globe (who first reported the story) and the New York Times.
In a nutshell here is what happened, according to Turnipseed. Back in 1972 his Alabama National Guard unit received a letter from Bush (who was in the Texas Nation Guard) asking if he while he was in Alabama do some equivalancy training with the Alabama unit.
Turnipseed said that this request was as a matter of routine turned over to his administrative assistant, Lott, who wrote back to Bush, giving him the dates of the next unit drills. Lott told Bush he could report for those dates.
Neither Turnipseed nor Lott can now remember whether Bush appeared for these drills or not. Turnipseed says he himself might not have even been around the base at the time, so he wouldn't know one way or the other. And he says he has always said this.
The points Turnipseed wanted to stress are these: Bush was never ordered to report for duty to his unit. Since Bush was in the Texas National Guard and Turnipseed was in the Alabama National Guard, he couldn't have ordered him even if he had wanted to. But he didn't want to.
He (or his assistant, Lott) simply gave Bush the dates he could report if he wanted to do equivalency training with them. There were no orders given. If he showed up or didn't show up, it wasn't their concern.
Additionally, Turnipseed says that he never once said anything about Bush being "AWOL." He said it isn't even a term used in the National Guard. And anyway, as already noted, Bush's training record was not his concern, but the Texas National Guard's.
He said that since the Texas National Guard gave him an honorable discharge it shows that he fulfilled his training requirements.
Turnipseed said that the media has constantly misrepresented what he said and edited him so as to make Bush look bad.
He also said that he had no idea who Bush was, and that he certainly didn't do him any special favors. Nor would he have.
He said that when he first spoke to the Boston Globe reporter about this four years ago he didn't realize he was talking to a "Bush hater."
Turnipseed is a strong Bush supporter. He said that he has been contacted many times especially recently, by "Bush haters" in the media, who try to get him to say that Bush was AWOL. Once they realize that he won't cooperate they lose interest in talking to him. When they do quote him, they say he is backpedaling--even though he is still saying the same exact thing he told them four years ago.
He has been recently asked to go on with Peter Jennings and NBC's Dateline, but he is concerned that they will edit him in such a way as to misrepresent his story again. I have been in touch with Fox news, in hopes that they will have somebody talk to him and try to present his story fairly.
Bottom line, this whole AWOL story was media spin from the git-go. The Boston Globe reporter simply cherry picked Turnipseed's comments and totally misrepresented him--to make Bush look bad.
And the media are still doing it four years later. They should be ashamed--but they have no shame. They have only their agenda.
(you) Well, i'm, happy for you. Really, I am. I'm not sure the voters are going to agree, but i'm all for finding something to feel positive about.
Thanks for your kind thoughts, but you seem insincere and a bit bitter. Could it be from the shellacking you've been taking on this thread today from so many? Perhaps you haven't read the many posts which noted sentiments similar to mine. Might this not reflect the reaction from GWB's core supporters who have been a bit down? And, Stu, the morale of his base translates into financial and field support. Money and energized volunteers are very important in national campaigns for the presidency.
I't's a good thing GWB is not as prickly about criticism or as sarcastic -- it doesn't play well with the voters. Don't you worry your precious heart, Stu, he'll win. Or is this what really does worry you?
Not me! However, let me illustrate some of the differences between ANG duty and other reserve forces. I was stationed on Otis AFB in Massachusetts for three years. The base had been closed for a few years, but had then been taken over by the Coast Guard and a combination of various NG and Reserve units from all the services. We were active duty running a phased array radar station known as Pave Paws (6th Missile Warning Squadron). We were called Cape Cod AFS to note we were active duty USAF on a closed base. I saw "Coasties" everyday. The Marine and Navy Reservists and Army National Guard where only there on weekends. Monday through Friday their ends of the base were ghost towns--except in the summer.
The ANG unit was the 102nd Fighter Wing. At the time they flew F-106's (now fly F-15's, some of which were scrambled on 9/11 but didn't get the order in time to make NYC). The F-106's were armed with Genie nuclear-tipped missiles. The pilots and crews were on duty 24/7, and on many occasions were scrambled over the Atlantic to escort Soviet Bear and Buffalo bombers who strayed "too close" to the USA (incidently, something the Soviets didn't allow off their coast either, but they actually shot down that KAL 007 flight in the 80's).
The point I'm trying to make is to in no way put down the service of anyone! Guardsmen, Reservist, or active duty. The media has a cultural memory of folks getting out of Vietnam service by going into the NG. Yup, back then, the NG was not at all integrated into the active duty force (IOW, before Total Force) and therefore the likelihood of being called up to Vietnam in the 1960's--in the ARMY NG--was pretty low.
The ANG has never been like that. Units are always flying doing what anyone would see as an actual active duty mission while not being on active duty. That is a difference that is NEVER highlighted in all the talk about Dubya being in the NG. during the Vietnam war. He wasn't--he was in the AIR NG! He flew F-102/6's--a very unforgiving aircraft in the same conditions any active duty pilot would fly.
It made this Floridian laugh out loud.
Every time I've seen Edwards over the last few weeks, his hair is smaller and darker. Have you noticed?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.