Posted on 09/16/2004 1:52:12 PM PDT by Spackidagoosh
Edited on 09/16/2004 2:17:33 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
WASHINGTON - A federal judge has ordered the Pentagon (news - web sites) to find and make public by next week any unreleased files about President Bush (news - web sites)'s Vietnam-era Air National Guard service to resolve a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by The Associated Press.
U.S. District Judge Harold Baer Jr. handed down the order late Wednesday in New York. The AP lawsuit already has led to the disclosure of previously unreleased flight logs from Bush's days piloting F-102A fighters and other jets.
Pentagon officials told Baer they plan to have their search complete by Monday. Baer ordered the Pentagon to hand over the records to the AP by Sept. 24 and provide a written statement by Sept. 29 detailing the search for more records.
"We're hopeful the Department of Defense (news - web sites) will provide a full accounting of the steps it has taken, as the judge ordered, so the public can have some assurance that there are no documents being withheld," said AP lawyer David Schulz.
White House officials have said Bush ordered the Pentagon earlier this year to conduct a thorough search for the president's records, and officials allowed reporters to review everything that was gathered back in February.
Through a series of requests under the federal open records law and a subsequent suit, the AP uncovered the flight logs, which were not part of the records the White House released earlier this year.
Both Bush's and John Kerry (news - web sites)'s service records in Vietnam have become a major issue in the presidential race. New records that have surfaced in recent weeks have raised more questions.
Bush's critics say Bush got preferential treatment as the son of a congressman and U.N. ambassador. Critics also question why Bush skipped a required medical examination in 1972 and failed to show up for drills during a six-month period that year.
Bush has repeatedly said he fulfilled all of his Air National Guard obligations.
The future president joined the Texas Air National Guard in 1968, when he graduated from Yale. He spent more than a year on active duty learning how to fly and then mostly flew in the one-seat F-102A fighters until April 1972.
The pilot logs show a shift to flights in two-seat trainer jets in March 1972, shortly before Bush quit flying. Former Air National Guard officials say that could have been because F-102A jets were not available for Bush to fly or because of other reasons, such as concerns about Bush's flight performance.
Bush skipped his required yearly medical exam in 1972 in the months after he stopped flying in April. Bush has said he moved to Alabama to work on the unsuccessful Senate campaign of a family friend.
Bush never showed up for Guard service between late April and mid-October 1972. He won approval to train with an Alabama Air National Guard unit during September, October and November 1972, but more than a dozen members of the unit at that time say they never saw him there.
The only direct record of Bush appearing at the Alabama unit's base is a January 1973 dental exam performed at that base. Bush's Texas commanders wrote in May 1973 they never saw him between May 1972 and April 1973, a time when his pay records show he trained on 14 days.
Although military regulations allowed commanders to order two years of active duty for guardsmen who missed more than three straight months of drills, that never happened to Bush. Commanders had leeway at the time to allow guardsmen to make up for missed drills.
I haven't read the entire thread yet -- just got home so perhaps someone beat me to this, but ....
CHECK KINKO'S IN ABILENE, TX!!
Well, if he did overstep his authority, then the remedy is a quick appeal to the circuit court to overturn the order. Plus you, or anyone, could always file a complaint against him for overstepping his Article III powers.
BY THE MEDIA NO LESS
THEY ARE HYPOCRITES!!
"This could potentially be a good thing. It will end all the rumors once and for all"
Or, it could create the opportunity to find more damaging documents against Bush - but this time they will be typed on a selectric typewriter.
Thanks!
The ALCU and NLG are probably behind this. They love to find judges on their way out as active judges to pull this stuff. You can't impeach a retiring judge.
When the 9th Circus Court tried to outlaw the pledge of allegiance, the ALCU thugs got to one of their 80 year old semi retired liberal judges to make that decision while he was on temporary duty. The uproar was so bad, that bs failed.
Okay, before everyone panics. First of all the AP more than likely picked this judge because of his probable unhappiness [I'm being kind ] with GWB. And where have you been? First, people are shocked that Rather would deceive the public. Check out first Rathergate at National Review in case you don"t know his past. And second, I thought everyone knew about the AP's penchant for leaning left. And if you're interested in what's being done to get Kerry's records go to Judicial Watch and check out the Navy' response.
It certainly resolves any lingering question about judge shopping.
This announcement must be sending chills up and down the Komrade Kerry Kerrorist Kamp,
At this very moment, conservative lawyers are finding a judge to do the same to Komrad Kerry's re his military record.
This was probably the Hildebeast's October Surprise.
It smacks of deep political bias by the judiciary, and the abuse of power. Somebody needs to sue for the release of John Kerry's military medical records now.
And in case no one else has mentioned it, a Klinton appointee.
I don't think that this judicial ruling is going to make one bit of difference though like everyone else I don't understand why Kerry gets a pass on all of his files not being released.
In the words of Lech Walesa, "The time will come when we will win."
In with the good air...out with the bad air...in with the good air...out with the bad air...breathe...breathe :)
Bush released all his documents.
The documents the judge ordered released may or may not exist. They are to be found in the personal records of OTHER service men and women. In effect, the judge is saying they should examine every single file on record from every single person that has ever served to look for any mention of George W. Bush.
G.W.B. has no more files of his own to release. He doesn't have the authotity to examine others records, nor to release them if found to hold info about himself.
Nor does the judge. There is no possible way to do what the judge has ordered without illegally violating the trust of thousands of service men and women.
Now this should mean the release of John Kerry's records.He SHOULD sign a form 180!
See this group of Swift Boats patrolling together? They are NOT SERVING together!!! Only the ones on the SAME BOAT are serving together! Each group of personnel on each boat know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about the personnel on the other boat, PERIOD !! If they say they do, they are Republican LIARS !! Unless the one talking is a DemocRAT. Then he is telling the truth, of course.
This idjit needs to release HIS MILITARY RECORDS!
Help the Kerry Campaign With Its paperwork!
Email Them a Standard Form 180 Now!
Click here to donate to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth!
LOL, so Federal District Judge Harold Baer, Jr is a sick scumbag. He's a Democrat.
That's how I see it also.
It's the AP
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