Posted on 02/01/2004 7:46:21 AM PST by Tumbleweed_Connection
Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe insisted on Sunday that President Bush "never served in the military," and said that Democrats would make reports that the president went "AWOL" from the Alabama National Guard in the early 1970s a central focus of the presidential campaign. "George Bush never served in our military in our country," McAuliffe told ABC's "This Week," apparently discounting Bush's stint in the National Guard from 1968 through 1973. "He didn't show up when he should have showed up." McAuliffe then echoed the charge by discredited filmmaker Michael Moore, who said three weeks ago that he wanted to see a debate between Gen. Wesley Clark and "the deserter." Said McAuliffe: "I look forward to that debate with John Kerry, a war hero with a chest full of medals, standing next to George Bush - a man who was AWOL in the Alabama National Guard." During the Democratic debate in New Hampshire two weeks ago, ABC News anchorman Peter Jennings said Moore's Bush desertion charge "is not supported by the facts." After the Boston Globe claimed during the 2000 presidential race that Bush had not appeared for Guard service for 17 months, its sister paper, the New York Times, admitted that report was wildly inaccurate. Referring to the May 2000 Globe report, the Times said in Nov., "A review of records by The New York Times indicated that some of those concerns [about Bush's Guard service] may be unfounded. Documents reviewed by The Times showed that Mr. Bush served in at least 9 of the 17 months in question." One document, the paper said, showed that "Mr. Bush served at various times from May 29, 1973, through July 30, 1973, a period of time questioned by The Globe." The Times said that other records showed that Bush received permission from his superiors to make up the drills he missed during the nine month period still in question. Still, despite the fact that the Bush AWOL charge has been completely discredited, McAuliffe insisted that the president's guard service would be a major campaign issue. "The facts are what they are," he told "This Week" host George Stephanopoulos. "[Bush] used his father's contacts to get a spot in the Texas Guard. He then wanted to go work on an Alabama Senate race. He went to Alabama for one year. He didn't show up. Call it whatever you want, AWOL - it doesn't matter."
Is there a chance that that could be captured on video? What a wonderful clip for a Bush campaign ad. A graphic with the quotation would work also.
Good point. Definitely a question for a respectable reporter to ask Terry.
Nice grammar. /sarcasm
I don't think he's seen a bar of soap or a razor in the last 20 years.
I hope all Guardsmen and Major General Frank Scoggins will send McAuliffe and the DNC a huge message – The Air National Guard is vital to the Nation and does one Magnificent job!
John Kerry, a war hero with a chest full of medals – what a bunch of hooey! He turned on his country, threw his medals away, and has since abused his constitution and this Republic as badly as any enemy of the people. There were thousands of men and women in that conflict who served honorably, selflessly for their country. Democrats do not care about nor respect the United States Military – they deplore that group - they want the money spent on defense, spent instead on their social reforms!
Go for that debate McAuliffe, you won’t look any less the fool than you look now!
Okay, let me correct that -- Daddy Bush made millions from the Global Crossing scam.
Richard W.
Exactly. A lot of people who hear this and don't follow the news too closely will think someone would not be able to say such a thing on TV and get away with it unless there was some truth to it. It would not occur to them that it is a lie, and who can blame them. He is getting away with saying it.
His question to Clark was intended to bring this subject up again
Thank you.
I said that on the live thread when others were thinking it was great that Jennings was "being so hard" on Clark. I noted that he got to ramble on an awfully long time, and not many would hear the "it's been discredited" from Jennings...just the assertions. Someone even popped up to say the subject was not dwelled on, when in fact there was a lot of ramble there.
McAuliffe spearheaded the "Every Vote Counts" voter registration and turnout campaign......what a joke!!!!
selling millions of dollars in stock before its value plummeted”.....no joke!!!!
Among the remaining subjects of the U.S. Attorney’s investigation—in addition to Trumka, McEntee and Carey—are former White House deputy chief of staff Harold Ickes, principal Clinton/Gore financier Terry McAuliffe, McEntee’s deputy Paul Booth, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) president Andrew Stern and octogenarian Theodore Kheel, famed New York lawyer, labor power broker and mediator. Testimony in the Hamilton case, as well as other evidence, connects these labor powerhouses to criminal activity and leaves many observers wondering why they haven’t been indicted.
Thank G-d for Terry McAwful. He's the gift that keeps on giving.
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