Probably One of the Most Vicious Anti-Bush Letters You'll Ever Read

Lewiston Sun-Journal ^ | May 12, 2003 | Paul Macri

[bogeybob]

Hail to the great hyprocrite

Paul F. Macri, Auburn, Maine

President Bush is a great American, a great American hypocrite, that is.

My stomach turned last Thursday night as Bush’s jet landed on the USS Abraham Lincoln and America saw him in a flight suit for the first time since he went AWOL from the Texas National Guard more than 30 years ago.

Don’t those cheering sailors — who truly are brave and did serve their country — know that Dubya conveniently sat out the Vietnam War, not as a protester or Rhodes Scholar, but with a rich boy’s “in” to the National Guard? And he couldn’t even hack that for the length of his sign-up, so he went AWOL his last year to run a Republican campaign in Alabama.

He was never punished, as a regular soldier would have been, and even got an “honorable” discharge.

Karl Rove knows that you can’t lose by underestimating the intelligence of the American voter, so I’m sure we’ll be seeing these pictures soon in campaign ads.

Bush was “unelected” in 2000. Shame on him.

If he’s “unelected” again in 2004, shame on us for having an economic, political and class double standard.

All is forgiven if you went to Yale and then pretended that you were in the military — if your father is a rich Republican and former president of the United States.

Beware being a smart boy from Tennessee who went to Vietnam or a Rhodes Scholar (a true intellectual achievement) from Arkansas. Oh, and also a Democrat.

[Movemout]

I wouldn't dignify this piece of defecation by commenting on it.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Baloney.

I told you.

I DID THIS! (I signed out many reservists for weekend duty that the CO never knew were on the shipyard. Since YOU are the one claiming he wasn't present, that he was the one AWOL, prove his absence. Prove his coverup - since the rest of "W's" records show he WAS credited with full duty that year.

The Base CO DOES NOT personally sign reservists in and out on duty weekends. Who knows his record? His OWN commanding officer who IS RESPONSIBLE for "W's" training and pay and the status of command, or the CO of a base where "W" served time for one for two weekends while-out-of-state?

Find out who this guy is, what HIS agenda is, and who and when and why he was interviewed, and WHO the reporter was who supposedly took his statement, and "maybe" then you'll find out what was really said. Find out what he does for a living now, and who pays his salary.

THE ENTIRE DEMOCRAT PLATFORM RESTS ON MAKING "W" LOOK BAD FOR MISSING TWO WEEKENDS IN ALABAMA BASED ON THIS ONE (incorrect) STATEMENT! (While Gore and Kerry and McCain exploit their duty in Vietnam...)

You don't think "that" little interface changes the democrat tactics, given how the NY Times (and others) routinely exaggerate and lie for their national democrat candidates?

[Howlin]

None so blind and all that...

A valiant effort, my friend.

[hirn_man]

Ask them to see a copy of the AWOL charges and a transcript of the court martial. Here's a clue,,,THEY DON'T EXIST.

[Egregious Philbin]

Since YOU are the one claiming he wasn't present, that he was the one AWOL, prove his absence. Prove his coverup - since the rest of "W's" records show he WAS credited with full duty that year.

If I claimed he wasn't present, I take it back. I will claim that there is no documented proof he was present. Your assumption that he was is based on your own experience, granted, but your only documented "proof" is the statement of an ex-girlfriend.

The Base CO DOES NOT personally sign reservists in and out on duty weekends. Who knows his record? His OWN commanding officer who IS RESPONSIBLE for "W's" training and pay and the status of command, or the CO of a base where "W" served time for one for two weekends while-out-of-state?

According to the original Boston Globe article, "Bush was directed to report to Turnipseed, the unit's commander." You would know better than I if that really means reporting to HIM. Geez, no offense, but have you not even read the articles and documents i'm referring to?

Find out who this guy is, what HIS agenda is, and who and when and why he was interviewed, and WHO the reporter was who supposedly took his statement, and "maybe" then you'll find out what was really said. Find out what he does for a living now, and who pays his salary.

That's Retired General William Turnipseed I quoted earlier, and his administrative officer at the time backs up his statement. He passed away recently, but since the only references to him I can find deal with this subject, it doesn't seem as if he was some big political insider. I can accept that he might be mistaken, though I still say his explanation is plausible. I think this is Turnipseed's obit.

THE ENTIRE DEMOCRAT PLATFORM RESTS ON MAKING "W" LOOK BAD FOR MISSING TWO WEEKENDS IN ALABAMA BASED ON THIS ONE (incorrect) STATEMENT! (While Gore and Kerry and McCain exploit their duty in Vietnam...)

Better to exploit an honorable past (at least with Kerry and McCain), than deny a dishonorable one, i'd say. McCain in particular can exploit his duty in Vietnam all he wants - you may not like him now, but I think that it's undeniable that his past is remarkable.

Even if you find proof of Bush doing his time in Alabama, there's plenty of other stuff that makes W. look bad. From a Washington Post article:

Former speaker of the Texas House of Representatives Ben Barnes said under oath today that he recommended George W. Bush for a pilot's slot in the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam War at the behest of a Houston businessman close to the Bush family.

You don't think "that" little interface changes the democrat tactics, given how the NY Times (and others) routinely exaggerate and lie for their national democrat candidates?

Now you're making excuses. Other media is doing a fine job of balancing the NY Times out, as they routinely sweep under the rugs damaging stories about Bush's past. I'm not saying one can't overcome their past, but you're defending, at the very least, Bush's special treatment in the National Guard. While his father and others were for the Vietnam War, they had no intention of sending their sons to fight it.

[rintense]

Michael Moore wrote it and just used a pen name.

[Fury]

Well, I knew their names too, but no matter. The real problem with your argument is that you assume Bush did the time in AL, without the documentation to back your argument up, and rely solely on the statement of Bush's ex-girlfriend, whereas the CO's comments make sense to me:

Well, sometimes there is no documentation.

In the USAR unit I was in, Senior NCO's and Officers were expected to go to "Admin drills". These were usually held on Tuesday evenings, a couple of times a month, for 3-4 hours. You had no orders directing you to go, and technically, you did not have to go, but if you did not attend these admin drills, your chances for promotion and advancement seemed to be more sparse than those who attended. It may not be fair, but it was the way it was. And it was "undocumented".

When I was in ROTC, I was also in the USAR. I did not attend any drill for 5 months due to a busy semester with ROTC and college classes. So, I suppose someone could have complained. But in our unit, you just had to accumulate the drills/points and you were good to go. And the USAR and NG understood that they needed to work with folks. Actually, it was pretty simple. The Sergeant Major for the unit got on the phone and said "Cadidiot (a popular term for ROTC cadets) such-and-such is not going to be able to attend drill for a few months - he'll make it up in the Summer, after school is out", and that settled the matter. It was undocumented, but it's the way things got done.

[MamaSwami]

Egregious...

re: "I believe there is documentation online that proves Bush was AWOL. His unit may never have seen combat, but he was called up."

There is documentation online that PURPORTS to "prove" that Bush was AWOL his last year. But the problem is that the files are very bad Xerox copies of old Xerox copies of old orders, and they're hard to actually read. I don't recall where I saw them online, but I read through them and found the particular place where the Libs claim Bush was AWOL.

There is a document showing a change in status that reads on one line; CHANGE "NO DAYS SERVED" 7 TO "NO DAYS SERVED" 9, or some numbers to that effect (I don't recall precisely what they were, but it doesn't matter).

This is being read by witchhunters as "no days". But when you study it closely, even in the online images you can see faded periods after "NO.". In other words, it translates to "number of days", not "no days".

This was just a VERY wreckless smear job done by someone so desperate to find a scandal that they didn't even wonder what the numbers "7" and "9" were for. What this document was for was to show that Bush had, indeed, shown up for another weekend, and his time was being recorded in this addendum to be added to his record.

But some rabid lunatic with NO experience in reading military orders (!!!) seized upon "no days" and made the mistake of running with it ;).

[Robert A Cook PE]

THAT (the missing period as somebody abbreviated "number" to no. !!!) is what this whole flamimg hit piece has been about for this many years??!?!?!?!?!?

[Howlin]

A PERIOD??????? A simple period????

Good lord.

[Howlin]

Get a look at this!

[Timesink]

Oh my GOD. We MUST find those documents and spread them far and wide!!

[McGavin999]

LOL, will they never learn?

[Himyar]

Let's settle the Bush in Alabama at the 187th ANG unit once and for all. Nobody knows if he or any other transient types were there or not. At that time, there were dozens of people from other units in and out. Regular Air Force getting in flying time while at the Air War College and Lord knows what else. As to Lt. Col. Turnipseed not remembering him, let's just say if I were counting on building a case solely on his memory I'd be in deep trouble.
How do I know? I was there. If Bush says he was, I believe him. We didn't exactly keep up with stray Lts. back then.

[ladyinred]

To all of those serving, or who have served their country as members of the National Guard, I salute you. Yours is a necessary function of the military, and it doesn't make you any less a hero for choosing this path. As you must be aware, the left is only putting down those who serve this way for political reasons, and this does not in anyway represent the feelings of most Americans.

[EastCoast]

The clintonoid was never a Rhodes Scholar until he was awarded the honorary degree during his second term. The year he spent at Oxford: he was only a Rhodes Scholar CANDIDATE, not a Rhodes Scholar - that would imply a degree after 8 to 9 years.

As for Al Gore's Vietnam stint, yes, he had bodyguards. But, geez, does one need a bodyguard to type reports for Stars and Stripes?

[Egregious Philbin]

Unbelievable! I've been referring to the documents, which are available online, throughout this thread (see my #171). You've been debating with me, Robert A. Cook, without actually reading the sources - proof is in your reply to MamaSwami's post. You are only hearing what you want to hear. I can't find the missing period, but I do find this. If you don't mind, MamiSwami, could you check out those documents (admittedly hard to read), and see if you can find the document you refer to? There are also links to several "hit pieces" in my #185.

In his #163, El Gato did find a clear misrepresentation of one of the documents. Does the document linked to above look familiar to either of you, El Gato, Fury, or Himyar? Perhaps Bush could have been in AL without the notice of Turnipseed - I defer to the three of you with National Guard experience - but without documentation? How does he get the points for his time then? I don't understand that part.

There have been many articles written about this (some of the links are dead, but can be found elsewhere). Perhaps the documents don't make a strong case against Bush, perhaps he did not receive special treatment during his time in the National Guard, but, at the very least, he did receive special treatment to get in.

Former speaker of the Texas House of Representatives Ben Barnes said under oath today that he recommended George W. Bush for a pilot's slot in the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam War at the behest of a Houston businessman close to the Bush family.

[Robert A Cook PE]

And what is the big "favor" (or influence peddling, if you will) that is such a crisis for you?

So Barnes claimed he asked for a fighter pilot spot on behalf of Bush?

At the time Bush applied for this position, that squadron WAS assigned duties overseas, and the squadron was active on patrol! Granted, two year later when he finished training, its role had changed, but are trying to show this known two years prior when Barnes asked the NG? Further, that type of fighter WAS deadly: It regularly killed pilots.

So how was Bush getting "out" of combat by trying to get into a "hot fighter" (a DANGEROUS POSITION compared to say Gore's father getting him a DELIBERATE backwoods ("safely" and "escorted") newspaper position that he LEFT EARLY.

Yes, I've read the "other" sources. More on those later.

Again: The democrats are throwing these lies by repeating the allegations, but their fundemental drive is pure, livid hatred of Bush by exploiting lies about two weekends of duty in Alabama - THAT HE SERVED.

While ignoring the eight years of deliberate lies, duplicity, and treasonous sale of military secrets by the Clinton administration to China for campaign money.

[Lee'sGhost]

"Karl Rove knows that you can’t lose by underestimating the intelligence of the American voter"

And this letter writer proves it.