Is Chris Matthews Unable or Unwilling to understand a simple exchange between Bush and Russert?

MSNBC

[rocklobster11]

I just saw Chris Matthews on Lester Holt, and Lester asked him whether the National Guard issue would continue. Chris said that it would because Bush didn't answer the question.

Lester mentioned Terry McAuliffe's statement about Bush being AWOL. Chris brought up the president's answer about people not bad-mouthing the National Guard, and said that Terry McAuliffe had not said anything bad about the National Guard. Well, Russert did not ask Bush to comment on Terry McAuliffe, he asked Bush to comment on the National Guard issue. I've seen many stories in the press about how the National Guard is not real service and that people enlisted in the National Guard as a way of avoiding going to Vietnam. Thus, I think Bush's statement was right on.

Then Lester asked Chris about Bush getting out of the Guard 8 months early in order to go to HBS. Chris responded that HBS started in September and the period in question was from May of the previous year to May of that year. Well, that may have been Chris's period in question, but Tim Russert specifically asked the president if he had gotten out of the Guard 8 months early in order to attend HBS, and the president said yes.

So it seems that we have people saying three things about Bush's service

1. Bush got into the Guard as a political favor to his father. Note that there have been several stories that specifically countered this claim, and there have been no stories mentioning anybody who can back up the claim of political favor. It appears that the Texas Guard did have a waiting list when Bush enlisted, but there was no waiting list for pilots, because of the amount of full time training required and because of the physical and mental requirements to become a pilot.
2. Bush was AWOL during the time he was supposed to have been reporting to the Guard in Alabama. Bush specifically answered that he did report and did serve in Alabama, and the other side has provided no proof to the contrary, other than a story from the Boston Globe in 2000, in which the source has since said that he was misquoted.
3. Bush got out the Guard early due to somebody pulling political strings. The fact is that Bush went thru proper channels in getting released early. Bush had been trained as a pilot (of F-102's I think), and the Guard was in the process of switching to a new generation of Fighters. It would not have made sense to retrain Bush on those Fighters when he only had 8 months of service left.

Here's the text of the Russert interview, and I think the president answered the questions fully.

President Bush: Political season is here.  I was  I served in the National Guard.  I flew F 102 aircraft.  I got an honorable discharge.  I've heard this  I've heard this ever since I started running for office.  I  I put in my time, proudly so.

I would be careful to not denigrate the Guard. It's fine to go after me, which I expect the other side will do. I wouldn't denigrate service to the Guard, though, and the reason I wouldn't, is because there are a lot of really fine people who served in the National Guard and who are serving in the National Guard today in Iraq.

Russert: The Boston Globe and the Associated Press have gone through some of their records and said there’s no evidence that you reported to duty in Alabama during the summer and fall of 1972.

President Bush: Yeah, they re they're just wrong. There may be no evidence, but I did report; otherwise, I wouldn't have been honorably discharged. In other words, you don't just say "I did something" without there being verification. Military doesn't work that way. I got an honorable discharge, and I did show up in Alabama.

Russert: You did were allowed to leave eight months before your term expired. Was there a reason?

President Bush: Right. Well, I was going to Harvard Business School and worked it out with the military.

Russert: When allegations were made about John McCain or Wesley Clark on their military records, they opened up their entire files. Would you agree to do that?

President Bush: Yeah. Listen, these files I mean, people have been looking for these files for a long period of time, trust me, and starting in the 1994 campaign for governor. And I can assure you in the year 2000 people were looking for those files as well. Probably you were. And absolutely. I mean, I

Russert: But would you allow pay stubs, tax records, anything to show that you were serving during that period?

President Bush: Yeah. If we still have them, but I you know, the records are kept in Colorado, as I understand, and they scoured the records.

And I'm just telling you, I did my duty, and it's politics, you know, to kind of ascribe all kinds of motives to me. But I have been through it before. I'm used to it. What I don't like is when people say serving in the Guard is is may not be a true service.

Russert: Would you authorize the release of everything to settle this?

President Bush: Yes, absolutely.

We did so in 2000, by the way.

[JulieRNR21]

Many thanks for the ping to #126......which I have copied & emailed to cyberfriends.

[Swordmaker]

I would have to disagree, most people don't have the time or the desire that we, the politcally aware, do.

I would have to agree...but I don't give them even that much slack. Many of them ACTIVELY avoid anything political and will make up their minds on criteria they use to vote on American Idol...

[amordei]

Yes! Yes! Yes!

[Final Authority]

Like Mike Barnicle, Chris Matthews is a product of the late Tip O'Neil. They are liberals while working hard to hide their true beliefs because they have been taught well. I call Barnicle a closet liberal.

[amordei]

If this truly becomes an issue in the fall (i have real doubts that it has that kind of legs), America will be treated to some firsthand accounts of Kerry's post-war exploits. Kerry is just sending a shot across our bow. I say, big deal.

Again, if Americans decide the election based on this issue, there will be a lot more exploration before decision day. Moreover, Kerry's goal of diminishing Bush's credibility will surely work in the short run, but I think a comparison of the two side-by-side in the fall will erase any of Kerry's gains.

[Mo1]

So it seems that we have people saying three things about Bush's service

And that's the game they think will work .. send everyone in all different directions .. all the while failing to tell the public that these questions have been investigation, answered and put to rest because there is no story

What Chrissy fails to realize is that the Reporter that oringally brought this up .. LIED!!

Not only did he LIE .. he has a history of LYING!!

Debunking The Bush AWOL Story - From The Horse's Mouth

[PISANO]

Everywhere I turn. Every news magazine or paper. Every news or comedy channel, an awards or talk show, the banter is the same. Bash Bush in anyway possible. However the really sickening thing is that you NO LONGER HEAR these words that for TWO YEARS was the MANTRA of both political parties and GW's critics and allies alike. "EVERYTHING CHANGED after 911".

It has been forgotten. NOTHING has changed, NOTHING at all. We have forgotten it. It doesn't even seem to enter into the equation of WMD or IRAQ. Everything is totally political, and the public... that is heard screaming approval when some politician shouts that the POTUS has LIED to US or that the POTUS has BETRAYED the American people or some other invective....they seem to have completely forgot that INFAMOUS DAY just 29 months ago.

[Hattie]

Obviously, nothing was uncovered in 2000 or since.

Well 2000 is not quite it. Actually this search of his records started in TX when he ran against Ann Richards. I have read that over 1000 requests have been placed for his records over the years. Believe me, Richards and Co. searched them well.

The Dems knew Kerry's post war record would be awful so this is just drummed up to offense against Bush and remove a campaign agenda from the Repubs. In other words they are doing a Rove on us.

[cake_crumb]

"C'mon, that is stooping to their level. We can respect his service to the country and his sacrifice. That doesn't mean that his judgement on issues of national security were not objectionable."

Being a rabid antiwar protestor and running with the crowd that further disheartened men who had already been through hell by but putting them through MORE HELL CERTAINLY IS OBJECTIONABLE. What I've known about that silver star he got for years doesn't qualify him as a hero of any sort. It qualifies him as an opportunistic, glory grabbing CREEP. As far as I can tell he hasn't changed a BIT.

[Godfollow]

He has good guests... ya like th nine dwarfs...

[cake_crumb]

"In other words they are doing a Rove on us."

Won't work. This isn't politics. Some things just run to deep. I hope Kerry and his buddies aren't too surprised by the depth of emotion that his Vietnam War Hero campaign will drum up. There's a damned good reason Kerry's been despised by most Vietnam vets. Papering over history won't change memories and emotions.

[texasbluebell]

And what was NoBalls Prissy Pissy Matthews doing during the Vietnam War? Where was "Meet the Prick" Russert during Vietnam?

They both know none of their media pals would ever ask such a question of them.

[texasbluebell]

Oh, so Chrissie didn't want to go to Vietnam either, I see. But it's okay because he went in the Peace Corps instead?

Good grief. The nerve of him denigrating anyone, anyone!, who served in any military unit whatsoever.

He makes me sick.

[texasbluebell]

Mollie Ivans is a loud mouth obnoxious democrat that has written all kinds of hate-filled garbage about the Bush's.

Darling Molly is the one who invented the endearing term Shrub, I believe.

[ThePythonicCow]

policies of not transferring someone with less than 1 year of committment left

This was the same in the Air Force, in 1973. I got out the same time as George W. Bush, and also with six months left on my four year commitment. I didn't even need an excuse like going to Grad school. I was coming back stateside from 18 months in Thailand, and the Air Force was pretty much looking for ways to down size a bit coming off Vietnam. They invited me to either re-up for longer, or leave.

[185JHP]

Kerry lacks the smarmy, oleaginous scamming ability of X42(I). If Kerry is trying to hide what's in him, he isn't doing a good job of it.

[jagrmeister]

No more playing defense. Bush served, period. If anti-war liberals have a problem with that, they can pound sand. The real issue is that John Kerry is a modern-day Benedict Arnold. That will come to light and when it does, it will devastate his candidacy.

[NYCVirago]

Chris brought up the president's answer about people not bad-mouthing the National Guard, and said that Terry McAuliffe had not said anything bad about the National Guard.

No, Terry McAwful only insinuated that they were not part of the military. That's no big deal. [/sarcasm]

[gunnedah]

You are right on the money.I am retired and since retiring I read quite a lot also. I realize not being present you may read a lot of lies and sometimes it is hard to distinguish truth from lies and a lot of it is in the eyes of the beholder.But I do think questions need to be raised and answered.
I wonder if America is headed in the direction of the old Soviet Union. I also wonder if there is a move in Congress to overthrow our government and constitution.
The press is not only powerful they manipulate the facts,cover for those they wish to protect and in general have a free reign to do as they please.
You are very observant and probably much better educated than myself and we need a network out their within the INTERNET to examine facts and to find out what is going on and what the truth really is. I think the congress sacrifices all of us daily for their own well being and personel kingdoms.
It is strange that a US Senator can allow a newspaper person access to classified files and information and this said information can cause the deaths of many of our foreign operatives and yet he is still in Congress and all of Congress quietly protects him. It is also strange that a congressional staffer can be sacrificed for leaking a memo that could quite well indicate how our judicial system is being overthrown and our laws and constitution is being circumvented and yet the information indicating this the press does not play upon and actually covers it up.
It is strange that the Democrats have a party leader that can turn $100,000.00 into $18 million dollars in the stock market and have an ex Secretary of Treasury making $40 million a year from the same group of people they claim the Republicans are protecting and helping to manipulate the markets and yet these same people set back and allow no telling how many of the little guys have their life savings stolen.
These are the same folks that are turning all the wild men loose on America and letting them spred lies and propaganda and the so called "Mainstream" just adores and put them out front like World Championship Wrestling.
These are the folks that have a candidate running for president that in 20 years in the Senate has never had one piece of meaningful legislation passed.Complains about special interest and has taken more money over the last 10 years from special interest than any other Senator.
He is now a war hero and yet he came back from Vietnam and left his crew by way of circumventing the military system if what I read is true..He came back and testified against those brave men who were fighting and dying over there and went as far to Demonstrate against them. It is funny how he and Jane and the Hollywood liberals want to blame that war on Nixon when good old LBJ and JFK both Democrats actually started that war.You also notice a police action in Korea was started by Democrats. In those two actions we lost over 100,000 men and women or might as well say sacrificed them because of politics and these were wars we could have won had the politicians left it up to the military once they were committed to action. I am sorry for the lost lives in Iraq and my heart goes out to the families but the Democrats keep throwing these figures of 500 or so up and they killed over a hundred thousand during the time I was in high school and in the military. These are the same Democrats that are willing to help murder over a million babies a year and not allow their own members in the Senate to vote on judges because they need judges they can manipulate and buy and sell. It may sound strange but I once was a proud and dumb Democrat myself.

[Dawgreg]

Yes........unstable, liberal and a bad case of acute "head running".......can talk more and say less than anyone I've ever seen.