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Memos Show Bush Suspended From Flying
AP ^ | 9/9/2004 | Pete Yost

Posted on 09/09/2004 12:06:40 AM PDT by Utah Girl

The White House released memos Wednesday night saying that George W. Bush was suspended from flying fighter jets for failing to meet standards of the Texas Air National Guard.

The Vietnam-era memos add new dimensions to the bare-bones explanation of Bush's aides over the years that he was suspended simply because he decided to skip his annual physical exam. The exam was scheduled during a year in which Bush left Texas, where he had been flying fighter jets, to work on a U.S. Senate campaign in Alabama.

White House communications director Dan Bartlett told CBS'"60 Minutes II," which first obtained the memos, that Bush's superiors granted permission to train in Alabama in a non-flying status and that "many of the documents you have here affirm just that."

"On this date I ordered that 1st Lt. Bush be suspended from flight status due to failure to perform to USAF/TexANG standards and failure to meet annual physical examination ... as ordered," states an Aug. 1, 1972, memo by Lt. Col. Jeremy Killian.

n a memo a year later that uses only last names, Killian points to turmoil among Bush's superiors over how to evaluate his performance because there was no "feedback" from Guard officials in Alabama in 1972 and 1973 where Bush had been largely inactive.

"Staudt has obviously pressured Hodges more about Bush," Killian wrote on Aug. 18, 1973. "I'm having trouble running interference and doing my job - Harris gave me a message today from Grp (Bush's unit) regarding Bush's OETR (officer evaluation) and Staudt is pushing to sugar coat it. Bush wasn't here during rating period and I don't have any feedback from 187th in Alabama. I will not rate."

The memo concludes: "Harris took the call from Grp today. I'll backdate but won't rate. Harris agrees."

Walter B. Staudt was commander of the Texas National Guard and Lt. Col. Bobby Hodges was one of Bush's superiors who two years earlier had rated Bush an outstanding young pilot and officer and a credit to his unit. Lt. Col. William D. Harris Jr. was another superior of Bush's.

A third Killian memo makes clear that Killian was concerned from the outset over Bush's plan to go to Alabama because the military had spent a substantial sum of money turning Bush into a pilot and that his National Guard duties might suffer if he went elsewhere.

"Phone call from Bush," Killian wrote in a May 19, 1972, memo. "Discussed options of how Bush can get out of coming to drill from now through November. ... Says that he is working on another campaign for his dad. ... We talked about him getting his flight physical situation fixed ... Says he will do that in Alabama if he stays in a flight status."

The memo added that Bush "has this campaign to do and other things that will follow and may not have the time. I advised him of our investment in him and his commitment."

The White House told CBS that Bush "met his drills then when he came back" from Alabama "and that's why he received an honorable discharge."

With national security and the war on terrorism looming large on voters' minds, supporters of Bush and Democratic nominee John Kerry are attacking each candidate's Vietnam War records. Republicans have accused Kerry, a decorated Vietnam combat veteran, of fabricating the events which led to his five medals. Democrats point to gaps in Bush's stateside Air National Guard service in 1972 and 1973 to say Bush shirked his duty.

Asked about Killian's memo which gives two reasons for Bush's suspension, Bartlett told CBS, "That might be official language." Bartlett said "the records have been clear for years that President Bush did not take a physical because he did not need to take a physical because, obviously, the choice was that he was going to be performing in a different capacity."

Asked about Killian's statement in a memo about the military's investment in Bush, Bartlett told CBS: "For anybody to try to interpret or presume they know what somebody who is now dead was thinking in any of these memos, I think is very difficult to do."

On Tuesday, the Defense Department released more than two dozen pages of records about Bush and his former Texas unit. They showed Bush flew for 336 hours in military jets after his flight training and ranked in the middle of his class.

Pentagon officials said they discovered the documents released Tuesday while performing a more comprehensive search "out of an abundance of caution" in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by The Associated Press.

The newly released records also showed that while Bush says he was in Alabama training with another Guard unit in 1972, his home unit in Texas was participating in the air defense of the southern United States by keeping two jet fighters constantly ready for launch within five minutes' notice.


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: ap; bush; killian; ltbush; mediabias; nationalguard; tang
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To: Utah Girl
Here's another thread about the CBS story. There appear to be inconsistencies about the memos that would be consistent with forgery. The biggest one is how a memo from an ANG unit was typed with proportional fonts in 1972.

THE "New" CBS BUSH DOCUMENTS: Let's do some investigating

21 posted on 09/09/2004 12:38:22 AM PDT by Paleo Conservative (Do not remove this tag under penalty of law.)
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To: Barlowmaker

"Republicans have accused Kerry, a decorated Vietnam combat veteran, of fabricating the events which led to his five medals. "

This is an out and out lie, the Republicans have never said anything of the sort, these accusations came from the men who served with and under Kerry.


22 posted on 09/09/2004 12:40:15 AM PDT by DaiHuy (God Bless America and God Damn John Kerry)
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.


23 posted on 09/09/2004 12:41:53 AM PDT by Mo1 (FR NEWS ALERT .... John Kerry over dosed on Botox and thinks he's Bob KerrEy)
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To: Barlowmaker

I wish I believed that!

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1210702/posts


24 posted on 09/09/2004 12:43:06 AM PDT by Howlin (I'm mad as Zell)
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To: Chaguito
They are in proportional font with superscripts,

Sounds like an excellent point to me. To the best of my (admittedly hazy) recollection, proportional font wasn't a possibility until laser printers, which I don't remember before the early 80s, though I stand open to correction. I believe proportional print typewriters constituted a last-ditch attempt -- in response to word processing -- to keep the typewriter from going obsolete; I heard they were hard to use -- in any case they don't seem to have lasted.

25 posted on 09/09/2004 12:44:37 AM PDT by maryz
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To: Howlin
They didn't say.

This "news" story states that the White House released the memos.

26 posted on 09/09/2004 12:44:38 AM PDT by AndrewC (I am a Bertrand Russell agnostic, even an atheist.</sarcasm>)
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To: AndrewC

Which is exactly why I posted this:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1210783/posts?page=2#2

These memos did NOT come from the White House.


27 posted on 09/09/2004 12:49:42 AM PDT by Howlin (I'm mad as Zell)
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To: Howlin
Which is exactly why I posted this:

Missed it. It's beddie-bye time. I guess we two, among others, can detect putrid "news" at a glance.(If it is a major "news" source, it is putrid)

28 posted on 09/09/2004 12:54:03 AM PDT by AndrewC (I am a Bertrand Russell agnostic, even an atheist.</sarcasm>)
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To: Utah Girl

I guess we know who Killian is voting for this year.


29 posted on 09/09/2004 12:54:16 AM PDT by nonkultur
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To: Howlin

Holy cow!! I'll have to bookmark that one for tomorrow.

That looks like some fun sleuthing!


30 posted on 09/09/2004 12:55:28 AM PDT by Barlowmaker
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To: AndrewC

We're old pros at this; our BS detectors go off at the drop of a hat.

Of course, there is so much more to "digest" lately that right now I feel like I need to have my brain reformatted.


31 posted on 09/09/2004 12:56:26 AM PDT by Howlin (I'm mad as Zell)
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To: Utah Girl
The reason this assault on George Bush's national guard record is not going to effectively weaken his support is because George Bush and Dick Cheney DID NOT make their Viet Nam war era actions a plank of their campaign — not a central plank, not even a peripheral plank.  Kerry did and in so doing now looks very much like a hypocrite and hypocrisy goes to the character of the man.

It's old news. It happened before most of the electorate was even born.  If Kerry left it alone, nobody would be examining his Viet Nam service and post service actions.  In addition, aside from Kerry groupies, most fair minded people don't believe Bush or his campaign staff were involved with the swift boat controversy.  It's a private fight between the Swift Boat veterans and Kerry because the wounds the veterans suffered upon returning home have never healed.  This is the first time they have been able to speak publicly and bring their case before the American people.  In a sense, this has been a catharsis for them and therefore a healing experience.  They need to heal.

For this reason this is going to roll off Bush as if he was made of teflon®.  The man is not a hypocrite.  This national guard business didn't stop him from being elected in 2000.  In 2004, it has less chance because during the last three years Bush has established a commendable record as Comander-In-Chief and his campaign is focussing on THAT.

32 posted on 09/09/2004 12:56:42 AM PDT by Free2Be49 (A wise man's heart inclines him toward the right, but a fool's heart toward the left. Ecc. 10:2 RSV)
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To: Barlowmaker

I think they're fake.


33 posted on 09/09/2004 12:56:57 AM PDT by Howlin (I'm mad as Zell)
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To: Howlin
I wish I believed that!

By the way, I'm a big Blog junkie and I've seen a chain of evidence developing these past 9 months or so: Stories first appear here, they're vetted and discussed, they are picked up by bloggers where they are then picked up by guys like Hugh Hewitt.

So, yes, I do believe positive community synergy here can make a real difference. I really think the SwiftVets mission gained critical mass here on FR.

34 posted on 09/09/2004 12:58:27 AM PDT by Barlowmaker
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To: Howlin
These memos did NOT come from the White House.

Why would the White House have Killian's memos.

I would expect that if the source has access to these memos, then they would also be able to easily produce hundreds of similar memos by Killian.
35 posted on 09/09/2004 12:59:11 AM PDT by igoramus987
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To: Howlin
Whew! For a minute there I thought the press had uncovered evidence that Bush had left his unit to join a militant antiwar group that had debated on the idea of assassinating antiwar politicians- so much so that they changed their venue a couple of times in order to prevent the FBI's bugs from picking up their discussion.

I was fearful the press would discover that Bush had been wounded in the ass by a rice kernel during a scuffle in a frat house and had been awarded one fo his three coveted Purple Carb medals. And that he'd won a Silver-Steer with a V because he'd once driven a few Herefords into the Dean's office and left them there over the holidays with a few buckets of range pellets and all the water they could guzzle.

Or worse, that he badmouthed and lied about his fellow American servicemen and called them war criminals while testifying under oath before a congressional commssion. Anyone who would do that deserves to get grilled by the press until well-done.

I dread the day the press discovers that Bush traveled to Paris to consult with the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese about defeating the US politically.

Or that he invited a wannabe assassin-hippy; a tea-drinking serial-lying french-accented ambassador with a conflict of interest the size of Niger; an unjustifiably egotistical security specialist who dislikes black women; and a cleptomaniac document burgler, etc - all to join his campaign and perhaps get positions in his next administration.

I'd be devestated.

36 posted on 09/09/2004 1:01:19 AM PDT by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge.)
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To: Barlowmaker
I've seen a chain of evidence developing these past 9 months or so: Stories first appear here, they're vetted and discussed, they are picked up by bloggers where they are then picked up by guys like Hugh Hewitt.

Why do you think I posted those memos on their own thread earlier tonight?

And I know people "grab" stuff from here -- and it gripes me when they don't give US credit for it.

One that comes to mind immediately is the "Kerry just sat there for 35 minutes"!

One was a Newsmax story......I know they got it from here......they took credit for it...it was a big deal....and never a word about us.

37 posted on 09/09/2004 1:02:03 AM PDT by Howlin (I'm mad as Zell)
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To: igoramus987

One would think that, wouldn't one?

Surely there are OTHER memos about George W. Bush that Killian wrote that just didn't fit CBS' agenda, right?


38 posted on 09/09/2004 1:03:28 AM PDT by Howlin (I'm mad as Zell)
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To: Howlin

My theory: there's too many of the anti-Mexican, anti-Muslim garbagemen and their ilk running around here that marginalize the place enough so that mainstreamers don't want to touch us.


39 posted on 09/09/2004 1:05:08 AM PDT by Barlowmaker
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To: Howlin

Stuned, I tell ya!


40 posted on 09/09/2004 1:05:16 AM PDT by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge.)
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