The first sentence; a complete and utter lie.
Want to know why the RATs had no bounce, and the GOP a big one?
Simple - the media.
Prior to the formal RAT convention, the Socialist media had been conducting a continous convention on their behalf. No bounce, because the public wasn't exposed to anything new.
Prior to the GOP convention, the Socialist media filtered and blocked the GOP message. A huge bounce resulted when the GOP was able to speak directly to the public for almost the first time.
Moral of the story?
Bush needs to pierce the Socialist media blockade by making and leading the news - meeting with Putin, going to Florida, announcing new initiatives, etc.
I'd like to see how they come up with that.
This whole 'national guard' thing has worked so well for john kerry and the dems in the past, it's no wonder they're trying it yet again!
Seriously, people know bush by now. They know how he reacts to threats to our national security. He's been given a challenge to our country that's unrivaled in the past 60 years and performed how a commander in chief is expected to perform.
What the kerryites don't get is why the swiftvets were so effective- john kerry was an unknown coming into this election. He attempted to define himself based on his experience in vietnam 35 years ago, and found that rug pulled out from under him. The swift vets were devasting because he had nothing else to stand on.
The libs and the press will huff and puff and think this is going to blow down the bush white house. But it's pointless because people have already formed their impression of bush, for better or for worse. They're going to see this and say "so what". And they're going to be thinking that this makes the kerry campaign look even more pathetic.
Where did CBS get these memos? I assume there would be hundreds of other memos by Bush's commanding officer, from the same source of a similar nature on other pilots also available.
I guess we know who Killian is voting for this year.
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.
It's not like Bush quit the guard and trashed the US Government, the US Navy, the US Air Force, the US Marines, and the US Army ...
ping
Another part of the problem is the deadening detail of this issue. The bottom line is the President received an honorable discharge. Were we not told to trust government records when it came to Senator Kerry's medals?
A final part of the problem is the failure of the Administration or someone to highlight this issue is a way the Kerry supporters plan to answer the charges of the Swifties. Rather than have Kerry address the issues directly as to whether he spent Christmas in Cambodia, whether the first Purple Heart was received for enemy fire and whether his boat left and the others remained or visa versa in respect to the Bronze Star they make an ad hominem attack on the President's Texas National Guard Service. Actually, the Kerry campaign does not even need to make the attack since the MSM seems sufficiently coordinated and supportive of his campaign to carry his water.
It would seem to me the President's campaign people and others must quickly and forcefully bring these points from background to foreground or else the Kerry people and the MSM will redefine the issue.
Also, someone must have some idea of what the hidden issues are for the Kerry people that the MSM is suppressing. A little leak here and there would not hurt. In any case speculative anticipation on scandals is an exciting form of political foreplay.
Let's keep talking about the era. The Bush people won't mind a bit.
ping
My thoughts were quite a bit different than most of the ones expressed here.
I saw the headline, then read the article, and found the headline to be extremely misleading.
The headline and first sentence implies that Bush was suspended for failing somehow. The article then goes on to show that he didn't want to fly, that he wanted to be transferred to a non-flying position in Alabama, and that he wanted to campaign for his dad.
I didn't think of "forgery" or anything like that. It looks to me that he fulfilled the minimum requirements of his duties so that he could campaign for his dad. Nothing to brag about, but no scandal there. He was honorably discharged. I don't see what the big deal is and I don't think most of America will either. I think this is a non-issue.
This is why I said Bush should have denounced the SBV ads, let them continue on their own. He'd be in the clear on all this.