Democratic Chief Says 'AWOL' Bush Will Be an Issue After a Nominee Emerges

New York Times ^ | 02/02/04 | KATHARINE Q. SEELYE

[KQQL]

OSEVILLE, Mich., Feb. 1 — With the Democratic presidential candidates campaigning across the country on Sunday, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee accused President Bush of being AWOL during his Air National Guard service, a signal of the ferocious campaign ahead once the Democrats finish with one another.

Revisiting an issue that arose briefly at the end of the last presidential election, the chairman, Terry McAuliffe, said he expected Mr. Bush's record of military service in the 1970's to become an issue this fall, particularly if the Democrats nominate the front-runner, Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts.

Mr. McAuliffe said he was staying neutral in the fight for his party's nomination. But, he said, if Mr. Kerry is the nominee, Mr. McAuliffe will relish comparing him with Mr. Bush.

"I look forward to that debate, when John Kerry, a war hero with a chest full of medals, is standing next to George Bush, a man who was AWOL" in the National Guard, Mr. McAuliffe said on the ABC program "This Week."

"George Bush never served in our military in our country," he said. "He didn't show up when he should have showed up."

Ed Gillespie, chairman of the Republican National Committee, called the comments "slanderous."

"President Bush served honorably in the National Guard," Mr. Gillespie said in a telephone interview. "He was never AWOL. To make an accusation like that on national television with no basis in fact is despicable."

The issue of Mr. Bush's military service arose when the filmmaker Michael Moore, a supporter of Gen. Wesley K. Clark, called Mr. Bush a deserter at a rally last month.

Mr. McAuliffe's attack on Mr. Bush seemed partly pre-emptive, suggesting that the Democrats would swing back hard if the Republicans tried to portray Mr. Kerry, decorated for his service in Vietnam, as weak on national security because in his Senate career he has voted against increasing the Pentagon budget.

It might also have been a diversionary tactic by Mr. McAuliffe, who has watched with dismay as the Democratic candidates deliver increasingly harsh blows at one another. If that was the case, it failed.

Howard Dean continued to blast Mr. Kerry on Sunday, saying Mr. Kerry had taken more money from lobbyists than any other senator in the last 15 years. Citing an article in Time magazine that said Mr. Kerry once corresponded with Johnny Chung, who later pleaded guilty to illegally funneling money to the Kerry campaign, Dr. Dean said Mr. Kerry owed voters an apology.

"He misrepresented himself, grossly misrepresented himself, as a candidate who would take on special interests in Washington," Dr. Dean told reporters on his campaign plane. "We cannot go on in this country having United States senators and public officials gather their money from people who they then perform favors for."

Mr. Kerry told reporters that the Chung story was old news. "The moment we had learned anything about that contribution," he said, "we returned the entire contribution."

On Saturday Mr. Kerry fired back, saying that Dr. Dean had conflicts of his own and had had to seal his records from his days as governor of Vermont to hide them. He also said that two of Dr. Dean's top campaign aides had been corporate lobbyists.

But Mr. Kerry generally held his fire on Sunday, staying in Fargo, N.D., and taking the posture of a front-runner as he anticipated a strong showing in Tuesday's string of primaries and caucuses. He also spurned the idea of a one-on-one debate with Dr. Dean, which he proposed before he won in Iowa and in New Hampshire.

"We're in a seven-state primary," Mr. Kerry said. "I don't have time right now."

Dr. Dean, who has said he does not expect to win in any of the seven states that hold contests on Tuesday, said he would drop out of the race if someone else accumulated enough delegates to claim the nomination. But he also told reporters that he did not expect anyone to do that before the convention.

He said on the NBC program "Meet the Press" that he intended to stay in the race through March 2, "Super Tuesday," when delegate-rich states like California and New York vote.

Mr. Kerry appeared to be running out the clock. Instead of charging off on Sunday to a populous state with more delegates than North Dakota, he stayed in Fargo to watch the Super Bowl.

Speaking to a crowd of about 600 North Dakotans at the Fargo Air Museum at midday Sunday, Mr. Kerry repeated his standard stump speech. He did not back off from his sharp criticisms of the Bush administration as being hostage to special interests, even in the face of continued sharp attacks from Dr. Dean.

[WorkingClassFilth]

Cool. That will be handy...

[BenR2]

Yes I did read your post. Is there something I misrepresented? If so I apologize. And I am very happy to be in "total agreement" with you on this.

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Sorry. I was less than clear. My opening sentence was intended to convey that Kerry's post-Viet-Nam behavior is the ONLY thing that can mute criticism of Bush's "shaky" Guard record.

Unfortunately, OTHER Democratic shills (i.e., the mainstream media will no doubt hammer Bush, while giving Kerry a free pass).

So, I do think we are in basic agreement on this point.

However, I do not plan to vote for Bush (or for Kerry).

[BenR2]

I disagree. The people that will be slamming Bush are the same gang of pervert supporters that defended Clinton's open draft dodging. At this point, when the incument president has an established record in office, Vietnam is as relevant as questions of who started the Civil War.

No, the only thing that should be fair game, and what both sides will do anything to dodge is this question:

What do you, Mr. Candidate, plan on doing to us next?

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You know the mainstream media will not be so gentlemanly as that.

Though it would be nice.

[festus]

One can only hope that Terry & Co. decide to really make this an issue. Would that God would be so kind.

Lets see a two pronged attack on GW first alleging he's "exagerating" the terrorist threat and has taken the war on terror far to seriously coupled with an attack that he's a deserter.

If they keep this up McGovern may be tapped to stand-in for the French Looking Candidate come November.

[Jorge]

However, I do not plan to vote for Bush (or for Kerry).

I hope you change your mind between now and NOV...and will vote for Bush. I don't agree with everything he's done but overall I think he's the best choice by far.

[CyberAnt]

Well .. Mr. Cleland be lyin'!!!

[Terabitten]

If the rats duck his record as President and focus on something that happened decades ago - they will only get their usual brain dead block of voters

If this is the best they can do, they're in deep doodie.

[hocndoc]

If it's Kerry, any question about President Bush should be countered with a question about lying about throwing medals away, then later displaying them. This is one I'd like to see answered, any way.
Dean - no problem.
Clark - tapes of Clark praising President Bush and Vice President Cheney.

[MattAMiller]

He's planning on stepping down in February '05.

[WOSG]

What a terrible mistake to not vote ffor Bush!!!!

[Doctor Raoul]

George Bush never served in our military in our country

Bush flew high altitude intercepters.
Terry McAullife is flying on crack cocaine.

[BenR2]

What a terrible mistake to not vote ffor Bush!!!!

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That is your opinion. I feel that I cannot trust him. His amnesty proposal was the final straw.

Sorry: He cannot take that one back.

[weegee]

Funny how Bill Clinton's Vietnam ditch ("I loathe the military") wasn't considered by Terry McAuliffe to be sufficient reason to bar him from the Presidency.

This is just a Rat trick smear campaign. The lying liars could care less who actually served in the military.

[PhiKapMom]

I guess completing pilot training and flying F-102's isn't enough for you.

Do you not understand that Pres Bush went through the same pilot training that every other Air Force pilot went through and it is not some driving class? Not to mention that he had so many flying hours before going to Alabama that he was way over for someone in the Texas ANG.

Your post is disgusting. BTW, the was covered extensively in 2000 not to mention Clintons had PI's digging everywhere for the information.

BTW, on another subject -- Pres Bush's father was not a well known politician at the time he received his deferment. That seems to escape some people.

[longtermmemmory]

why is democrat.org trying to put a cookie on my system when I entered this thread?

[longtermmemmory]

It tells me that they have all of Bush's personal records. The Clintonization of the DNC is complete.

This will be a bloody and ugly political campaign. I just hope this Republican is up to the bare knuckle fight. No wishy washy campaign like x41.

[Recovering_Democrat]

LOL. Yeah, you go ahead and make that an issue, Terry McAwful. I'm sure it'll mean so much to America.