Bush credited for Guard drills (Kapow!)

The Boston Globe ^ | 2/10/04 | Walter V. Robinson

[The G Man]

President Bush received credit for attending Air National Guard drills in the fall of 1972 and spring of 1973 -- a period when his commanders have said he did not appear for duty at bases in Montgomery, Ala., and Houston -- according to two new documents obtained by the Globe.

[GailA]

They must have pulled it.

[kcvl]

Dr. David Lytel is managing partner of Democrats.com, a company that provides Internet campaign services to Democratic candidates, causes and committees. Its clients include the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and House and Senate candidates across the country. A former Democratic elected official, Lytel served in the White House Office of Science and Technology in President Clinton’s first term.

From 1993 to 1996 Dr. Lytel was an expert advisor at the White House where he worked primarily on the National Information Infrastructure initiative. He wrote for Vice President Gore and staffed the Information Infrastructure Task Force. Lytel was co-developer and managing editor of the award-winning White House Web site

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Fertik created the Internet consulting firm I-Progress, which specialized in Internet development consulting for non-profits. He is the co-founder of the Pro-choice Resource Center, Eleanor's List, Political Woman Newsletter, Women Leaders Online, and the Women's Voting Guide. He is on the board of the Westchester Coalition for Legal Abortion and co-author (with WCLA's Polly Rothstein) of Pro-choice Power. He has been a campaign manager, candidate, and political consultant. Fertik, who graduated from Yale in 1979, lives with his family in Queens NY, and was profiled in Newsday.

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Jock Gill, formerly Director of Special Projects the Office of Media Affairs in the Clinton White House, co-developer of the White House Web site and Executive Director of Greenstar Foundation, which brings electricity to remote areas in developing countries.

Stan Greenberg, Chairman of Greenberg Research, a survey research firm founded in 1980. He has served as an advisor to President Clinton, former Vice President Mondale, Senators Dodd, Lieberman and Bingaman, the Democratic National Committee and many other prominent Democrats.

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Greg Simon, former chief domestic policy advisor to Vice President Gore and president of Simon Strategies, a strategic planning and public affairs consulting firm.

[Miss Marple]

I know very well what we are up against. I am quite willing to dig through archives at the Central Library to find photos and comments by young Mr. Kerry.

I am glad to see that the White House got documentation. Now the press will be combing over documents, but they won't find anything. They are blinded by their hate.

I still say that the "band of brothers" following Kerry are getting paid. I would doubt most of those guys have the money to follow him around like that.

[chiller]

Stepford Nora

Oh my, you're right! O'Donnell I assume..

[PattonReincarnated]

>> Oh good grief. Who would want to get involved with this media feedy frenzy. If one person steps forward then his record will be under scrutiny. And just get slammed for lying for GWB.

You got that right. Additionally, for every minute Bush has to respond to false allegations, it is a minute that Bush can't present his message. The tactic being played here by the Dems is a powerful one. Right, wrong, or indifferent, any type of attack will dominate the headlines - and Kerry still gets positive press. Do we hear of Bush's successes? Do we hear of the successes in Iraq? Do we hear of successes in the economy?

[hchutch]

Thanks.

FYI ping

[Robert A Cook PE]

Wrong.

[Darlin']

"James Rosen, on Fox, discussing the press briefing now. He says that President Bush credits his air training in the National Guard for giving him the skills to land the Viking on the USS Abraham Lincoln, AND YHEN FOX SHOWS TH FLIGHT SUIT CLIP AGAIN!!!! Bwahahahahaha!!!"

I saw that, too. hehehe. GOOD on FOX!!!!! Sumpin about that flightsuit clip that causes meltdowns all across the DNC. No matter how they try to deny it, they just can't stand the idea that the Commander-in-Chief was not only trained to fly a jet in the Guard but that he looks delicious in that flightsuit.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Over time, roughly 1 in 4 single engine Century series fighters crashed.

Bush had more "days flying" than Kerry had "days in country" ...

Kerry left EARLY from Vietnam: he had less than 90 days service. Then, after less than 3months duty (Dec-mid-Feb) he petitioned his CO to go home to an admiral's aide position in Boston. He claimed an "unwritten rule" that let men go home if they had 3 wounds.

THEN, Kerry had the nerve to LEAVE THAT DUTY early to "run for congress" in Massachusetts.

[Petronski]

Brig Gen Turnipseed? Are you lurking here? Please contact Brit Hume at Fox News and take your story national.

[faithincowboys]

When does the investigation of Kerry begin??

His 19 years in the Senate is damning enough, but since he is running on Vietnam (of all the people who could it is shocking that he is) there should be a full accounting of his medals, his antiwar activities, his purple hearts-- I understand he won't release his medical records, and his request to leave early.

[oyez]

Kerry and his friends' activities after his military days gave aid and stability to the enemy. Its was the protesters that gave NVN assurance that the USA wouldn't be returning once the control of the war was given over to the South Vietnamese.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Kerry's record would be more believeable if he had not written up his own awards.

But his Sliver Star was for shooting a wounded VC in the back as he ran away from the boat with a rocket launcher.

[Seeking the truth]

Here's that flight suit...hope those Moby's are still around to see this...lol

Freeper Stuff

[cake_crumb]

I still say that the "band of brothers" following Kerry are getting paid. I would doubt most of those guys have the money to follow him around like that.

Had to step out for an hour, sorry.

Oh I believe they're being paid too. In perks if nothing else. Cleland with a promise of a cabinet position.

I have to wonder if Kerry is as blind as he appears. He's dissed the National Guard several times now in his attempt to perpetrate a lie against his opponent. He continually says HE will give us REAL international cooperation, unlike President Bush did with the WOT. He continually touts his medals and plays war hero, despite the fact that he destroyed the lives of many of his own brothers in arms after he returned.

In other words, he's ticking off National Guard members and families by implying the Guard isn't real military. He's dissing our coalition allies like Britain and Japan by implying they're not as good as France and Germany and don't constitute international cooperation. Most vets already hate him, but by the truth coming out he's opening old wounds and people who were too young at the time are now learning the whole, sordid story of how he stabbed his fellows in the back and encouraged more emotional damage to them than they had already suffered.

Maybe he really IS too blind to see this, like Janet Reno. I hope so ;- )

[WVNan]

Just as I thought. clintonistas. hillary wants Dubya to win. If Kerry wins she will be out for 2008. Only thing that makes sense for the source of these documents.

[The G Man]

Waits for apologies from Kerry and his leftist minions...

(crickets chirping)

[SpinyNorman]

Well, Matthews was on aroung 7:30am, and I am sure the Globe comes out before that, as I picked up a copy (a freebie: I would never pay for the rag) on the way to work. I don't know if Boston.com had the story early this morning or not.

Frankly, it was nice to have Matthews hoist his own petard. Made me smile. Laugh out loud, actually! LOLOL!!

[MainFrame65]

A question of service - Unsigned editorial in the Commercial Appeal, Memphis, from their new editorial page editor.

February 10, 2004

THE QUESTION of George Bush's National Guard service did not really come up in the 2000 presidential race, perhaps because both candidates were sons of privilege and it was in the interest of neither to raise it.

With John Kerry, a decorated war hero, likely to be the Democratic nominee, it will be an issue in this campaign. Indeed, Democratic surrogates have already made it an issue with party chairman Terry McAuliffe accusing Bush of being "AWOL in the Alabama National Guard: He didn't show up when he should have."

It is an ugly charge that should be squarely rebutted. Partisanship aside, when the President is asking extraordinary sacrifice of members of the military, including the Guard, it is fair to ask how well he himself served the nation.

Bush joined the Texas Air National Guard in 1968, jumping a waiting list to do so, according to published accounts, and qualified as a pilot. In 1972, he transferred to the Alabama Air National Guard so he could work on a Senate campaign. But there is no record that he ever reported for duty as required during the eight months he was in Alabama. During that time he lost his pilot's status for missing a physical exam.

Bush had an opportunity to address this gap in his military resume during his hour-long interview with NBC's Tim Russert, and his sketchy response must have surely dismayed his supporters.

After briefly making the point that he had been honorably discharged, the President told Russert: "I would be careful not to denigrate the Guard." It was a crude way of trying to change the subject since no one had.

He went on to say that the phantom criticism of the Guard was off-base because there are "a lot of really fine people who served in the National Guard ..." Surely, Bush could have remembered some of them from Alabama, or at least a few anecdotes about his service there.

Bush insisted he did "show up in Alabama," but the question was not whether he was in the state but whether he did any Guard service while there.

Russert asked if Bush would authorize the release of "pay stubs, tax records, anything to show that you were serving during that period?"

Bush's response was again not terribly reassuring: "Yeah, if we still have them ..."

Surely with all the resources at George Bush's disposal the question of whether he did or did not show up for Guard service in Alabama can be settled quickly and definitively.

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My letter in response:

To the Commercial Appeal, Memphis

I had hoped that the change in the heading of your editorial page would signal an improvement in the quality of the content below, but this has not been the case at all. The Tuesday editorial about the President's service record is a striking example of the laziness and intellectual laxity that have become your new and shameful hallmarks.

You have published unsupported rumors and allegations as fact, and ignored the researched and documented findings of other organizations that have already done what you failed to do, such as research or fact finding, that is the proper responsibility of the news organization you claim to be. Instead, you hide behind your deliberate ignorance in order to propagate three false charges against a President you dislike.

First, he received his guard appointment because he agreed to pilot training, which required both qualification and commitment to over a year of active duty training, which others ahead of him on the waiting list did not do.

Second, his early discharge to attend college was a common occurrence, not some kind of special favor to the son of a congressman. Also, by that time the F102's he flew were being phased out, and he would have needed retraining and requalification to continue flying for the few months of service he had left.

Third, and the heart of the matter, concerns his reporting for assigned duty in Alabama. Some - like you, lacking the courage to make the accusation - have passed along anonymous accusations of the President shirking his service in Alabama. National Guard service is a SECOND job, except during activation, and accomodation to civilian activity is normal and unexceptional. Guardsmen are paid for days present at either the regular drills or makeup drills, which are also common. Points are awarded for attendance, and credit for service is based on accumulating sufficient points. The President's honorable discharge is sufficient evidence of completion of his obligation, but more recent evidence is even more compelling.

For that, you might have perused the Associated Press story published on your own web site on the same day, indicating, "The pay information (released) documented the dates when Bush showed up for Guard duty", and "You are paid for the (specific) dates you served."

An apology from you - and from others who have chosen to engage in this innuendo - would be welcome and refreshing, although totally unexpected. You established a pettern in your equally dishonest editorial about Judge Pickering, and I suppose we can expect no better from you in the future.

That is too bad - for Memphis, and for you.